County Public School Mask Mandates & The Texas Supreme Court Ruling
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) — The battle over masks is leading to some confusion for some parents in North Texas this morning -- so here's a breakdown of the facts.
On August 15 the Texas Supreme Court sided with Governor Greg Abbott and lifted a stay on his executive order banning mask mandates.
The decision effectively blocks mask requirements in Dallas County and in Bexar County -- which includes San Antonio -- until there a court hearing can be held.
The hearing for Bexar County will be held on August 16. The hearing for Dallas County is scheduled to take place next Tuesday, on August 24.
Sunday night Dallas County Judge Cay Jenkins tweeted some clarification about the ruling. It said, in part, that his mask order wasn't struck down, rather that the state Supreme Court removed the stay on the governor's executive order.
Jenkins added that he'll amend his order to remove the possibility of fines on non-compliant businesses, but otherwise he'll leave the order in effect.
The decision comes at a critical time. Children in some of the biggest school districts in North Texas are heading back to the classroom today. Some of the largest districts in DFW -- Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington -- start the school year this morning.
