The Missouri attorney general's lawsuit over masking policies in the Jefferson City School District was dismissed Friday.
The lawsuit, which was filed in January by Attorney General Eric Schmitt, was dismissed "without prejudice," which means it has not been finally decided and it may be refiled at a later date.
When the suit was filed, Schmitt said he would sue school districts that require masks or send students home when they are infected or exposed to the COVID-19 virus. He said school mask rules and requirements that students with an infection or exposure remain at home violated a Nov. 22 Cole County Circuit Court decision that found local health orders designed to stop the spread of COVID-19 violated the Missouri Constitution.
Schmitt had said the ruling applied to school districts and any decisions about masks and isolation belong with parents.
Schmitt also had said masks fail to provide adequate protection and offer a false sense of security. He said studies that claim masks are effective are actually "generally of poor quality and are unreliable." Schmitt added long-term wearing of masks could impair the educational and emotional development of children.
The Jefferson City masking requirement was lifted Oct. 1. However, on Jan. 13, the district announced the same mask requirement would be imposed starting Monday, Jan. 18. District officials said they made the move on a temporary basis due to a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases among students and staff.
In early February, there was a sharp decline in new cases in the district, which led the district to announce masks were encouraged but not required, meaning students could wear masks if they chose.