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A Statement from the Fort Worth ISD Regarding Mask Mandate Court Case
Date: August 19, 2022
The Fort Worth Independent School District Board of Education (the “Board”) announces that it has amicably resolved the lawsuit styled Treger, et al. v. Kent Scribner, et al., currently pending in the 141st Judicial District Court, Tarrant County, Texas. This lawsuit, brought by four parents of FWISD students, sought to restrict the District’s ability to enforce mask requirements in District buildings during the pandemic.
The District denies any wrongdoing in connection with its efforts to keep its students safe during the pandemic, and is pleased that the Second Court of Appeals agreed that the District should not have been prohibited from implementing its mask mandate. However, the Board and the District recognize that the pandemic has brought about significant challenges to education, including differing perspectives and ideas about how best to help our students succeed. The Board and the District firmly believe that working cooperatively, we can not only ensure our students’ success, but also set a positive example for them to follow in resolving conflict. It is in that spirit that the Board and the District have worked to resolve the lawsuit without any further expense, delay, or distraction.
As part of the resolution, the Board has agreed that should circumstances arise during the 2022-2023 school year that necessitate revisiting the need for a mask requirement, any such requirement will allow for students to opt out of such a requirement for medical reasons or reasons of conscience. Although the Board has resolved this lawsuit, the District remains a party to the proceedings in La Joya ISD, et al. v. Greg Abbott, et al., currently pending before the Texas Supreme Court, wherein the District continues to fight to preserve its ability to exercise local control over decisions impacting its students’ education in full cooperation with parents and stakeholders.
The Board’s and the District’s highest responsibility is the education of the students of FWISD. As part of that responsibility, the Board and the District take seriously their obligation to ensure all students have a safe, healthy, and welcoming environment in which to learn. Likewise, the Board and the District value and encourage the rights of parents to fully and actively participate in their student’s education. It is the Board’s and the District’s strongly held belief that the highest educational outcomes can best be achieved through partnerships with parents.