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 a recent meeting that it was time for parents to "stand up and demand our freedoms back."

But Stephen Hall, the 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.