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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday vowed to bring to justice any school or local government that defies his executive order banning mask warrants “in court” after challenging a Dallas mask order.
Abbott, along with State Attorney General Ken Paxton, filed a petition with the 5th Court of Appeal to try to block a decision by a district judge that allowed the second largest school district in the State to require masks.
Earlier today, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins ruled that all schools, daycares and businesses in the county need to cover their faces, after a district judge granted him temporary powers to replace a previous order of the governor.
DALLAS SCHOOLS ISSUE MASK MANDATE, CHALLENGING THE GOVERNMENT. ABBOTT’S EXECUTIVE ORDER
Abbott and Paxton argued that the warrant violated the governor’s executive order that prohibited local governments from implementing mask regulations, despite the recent increase in coronavirus cases.
“Attention-grabbing judges and mayors once defied executive orders, when the pandemic first began, and the courts have ruled on our side – the law,” Paxton said in a statement. “I am convinced that the results of all prosecutions will be on the side of individual freedom and choice, not government mandates and overbreadth.”
Dallas, which serves more than 150,000 students, is not the only city in Texas to have said it will enforce mandatory masks as children return to class this fall.
The Houston Independent School District – the largest district in Texas with more than 200,000 students – said it would create a mask warrant pending board approval on Thursday.
Austin and San Antonio have also said they will also challenge the Governor’s Order and demand facial coverage for students and adults in the classroom.
Abbott lifted the Texas mask mandate in March after cases began to decline during the vaccine rollout. In May, he issued an executive order barring local authorities from setting future mask requirements.
THE AUSTIN AND DALLAS SCHOOLS IMPLEMENT NEW MASK MANDATES, INFRINGING GOV. PROHIBITION OF ABBOTT
“The way forward is based on personal responsibility, not government mandates,” Abbott said in a statement Wednesday. “The State of Texas will continue to vigorously fight the temporary restraining order designed to protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans.”
The United States has seen an increase in the number of reported coronavirus cases in recent weeks, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting a 34% increase and a daily average of 90,000 new confirmed cases nationwide.
Texas reported a vaccination rate higher than the national average, with more than 64% of the state having received at least one injection, according to the CDC.
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About 57 percent of Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Children between the ages of 2 and 12 have not yet been approved to receive the vaccine.
Paul Best contributed to this report.
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