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Federal judge overrules Texas ban on mask mandates in schools

Key updates
Texas’s ban on school mask mandates violates rights of students with disabilities, federal judge rules
Biden administration to invest another $785 million in communities hit hardest by pandemic
The U.S. sees highest weekly first dose vaccination rate in a month
Courtney Martin, left, a nurse at the University of Washington Medical Center, prepares to give the first shot of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine to Ani Hahn, 7, on Nov. 9 in Seattle. (Ted S. Warren/AP)
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Updated November 10, 2021 at 11:30 p.m. EST|Published November 10, 2021 at 4:07 a.m. EST

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A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in schools violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, a decision that could have national implications as several other states are embroiled in legal battles over face covering requirements for children.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel is the latest development in the closely watched feud, and it allows local leaders to once again decide whether they want to implement mask mandates in their school districts.

School mask mandates have for months been a contentious issue, the disputes moving from school board meetings to courtrooms. A handful of GOP-led states, including Arizona and Florida, passed similar bans on mandates. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, has recommended that schools require their students, teachers and staff to wear masks.

U.S. coronavirus cases tracker and map

Texas’s ban on school mask mandates violates rights of students with disabilities, federal judge rules
Biden administration to invest another $785 million in communities hit hardest by pandemic
The U.S. sees highest weekly first dose vaccination rate in a month

Here’s what to know

  • Approximately 900,000 children ages 5 to 11 will have received their first dose of the pediatric coronavirus vaccine by the end of the day, said Jeff Zients, the White House Covid-19 Response Team coordinator, at a Wednesday news briefing.
  • The legal battle over the Biden administration’s vaccination mandate for private businesses is just beginning, and could end up before the Supreme Court.
  • The U.S. is averaging 300,000 first shots per day, its highest weekly average in almost a month, said Jeff Zients, White House Covid-19 Response Team coronavirus coordinator.
  • Twenty-four states have seen at least a 5 percent increase in cases over the past two weeks, raising the question of whether this is the start of what would be the fifth national wave of infections since the start of the pandemic.
  • A Pennsylvania court struck down the state’s mask mandate for schoolchildren in grades K-12 on Wednesday, ruling that the acting health secretary did not have the authority to issue the requirement.
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Here's what to know:

Approximately 900,000 children ages 5 to 11 will have received their first dose of the pediatric coronavirus vaccine by the end of the day, said Jeff Zients, the White House Covid-19 Response Team coordinator, at a Wednesday news briefing.
The legal battle over the Biden administration’s vaccination mandate for private businesses is just beginning, and could end up before the Supreme Court.
The U.S. is averaging 300,000 first shots per day, its highest weekly average in almost a month, said Jeff Zients, White House Covid-19 Response Team coronavirus coordinator.
Twenty-four states have seen at least a 5 percent increase in cases over the past two weeks, raising the question of whether this is the start of what would be the fifth national wave of infections since the start of the pandemic.
A Pennsylvania court struck down the state’s mask mandate for schoolchildren in grades K-12 on Wednesday, ruling that the acting health secretary did not have the authority to issue the requirement.

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Coronavirus: What you need to know

Where do things stand? See the latest covid numbers in the U.S. and across the world. In the U.S., pandemic trends have shifted and now White people are more likely to die from covid than Black people.

The state of public health: Conservative and libertarian forces have defanged much of the nation’s public health system through legislation and litigation as the world staggers into the fourth year of covid.

Grief and the pandemic: A Washington Post reporter covered the coronavirus — and then endured the death of her mother from covid-19. She offers a window into grief and resilience.

Would we shut down again? What will the United States do the next time a deadly virus comes knocking on the door?

Vaccines: The CDC recommends that everyone age 5 and older get an updated covid booster shot. New federal data shows adults who received the updated shots cut their risk of being hospitalized with covid-19 by 50 percent. Here’s guidance on when you should get the omicron booster and how vaccine efficacy could be affected by your prior infections.

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