Springfield parents file lawsuit over school mask mandate

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Six parents have filed a lawsuit alleging that Springfield Public Schools doesn’t have the authority to require masks. The Springfield News-Leader reports that the parents argue that the mask mandate in place since August is a legal overreach and infringes on the rights of parents. Stephanie Sproule, one of the parents named in the lawsuit, said at at recent meeting that it was time for parents to “stand up and demand our freedoms back.” But Stephen Hall, district’s chief communications officer. described the lawsuit as “frivolous, short-sighted and harmful.” He said the district has repeatedly stated that it intends to lift the masking requirement no later than mid-January and noted that the district’s youngest student only recently became eligible to be vaccinated.