Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Sept. 10 that he has filed lawsuits against Richardson ISD and five other school districts requiring masks this school year.
RISD has not been served with the lawsuit as of Sept. 10 and does not comment on pending litigation, a district official shared with The Dallas Morning News.
The district was added to Paxton’s running list of districts in noncompliance with Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order prohibiting mask requirements in September. RISD received a letter from Paxton informing them that they were on the list, but made no changes to their policies based on a court decision in Travis County at the time. Paxton vowed to sue “every single local entity” that instates a mask mandate.
Trustees have since voted to join a lawsuit against the governor’s mandate and last week voted to affirm mask wearing on campus as COVID-19 cases surge in classes.
Paxton shared that the other districts being sued at this time are Round Rock, Galveston, Elgin, Spring and Sherman independent school districts. The AG’s office anticipates filing more lawsuits against districts requiring masks, a Sept. 10 release said.
