PARKERSBURG, WV (LOOTPRESS) – In a case that may eventually impact the entire state, Monroe County attorney John H. Bryan is suing Wood County Schools because of their blanket school mask policy.
Bryan filed the suit yesterday in Parkersburg.
Bryan, known as the “Civil Rights Lawyer,” said the Wood County policy is “forcibly masking children for prolonged periods of time. The suit was filed on behalf of his clients, John Davis and Felsie Pierce, who have three children currently enrolled in Wood County Schools.
Bryan explained, “In a nutshell, our legal theory is this: Wood County BOE claims that the local health board, the Mid-Ohio Valley Board of Health, has issued the mandate, and they are merely following that requirement.
“However, the MOVBOH has denied that they issued the mandate. If the MOVBOH had indeed issued the mandate, they would be required to follow due process, which requires notice, a hearing, and so on, as well as oversight by the Wood County Commission, the local elected representatives of these schoolchildren and their parents,” the lawyer said.
“That’s the process in place – even before we get to the issue of science or constitutional rights,” Bryan continued. “They didn’t follow the process and therefore the mandate needs to be struck down immediately.”
Bryan said, “Secondly, even if and when they follow that process, such a mandate still violates the West Virginia Constitution because it violates the bodily autonomy of these children, just like a mandate requiring a medical procedure without the consent of the recipient.”
Bryan said he understands other counties in the state have implemented mask policies the same way Wood did.
“We’ll see what the Wood County Circuit Court does with this case first before proceeding in other counties,” he explained. “We have requested the issuance of an immediate temporary restraining order, until such time as an expedited hearing can take place.”
This story will be updated as events unfold.