While several Arkansas media outlets reported last week that the mask mandate lawsuit against the Bentonville Public School District had been dismissed, that is not the case… at least, not entirely.
The Bentonville parents, who are fighting for the right to choose what is best for their children, refiled their lawsuit… with the hope it would move forward more quickly.
On the “Bentonville Parents for Choice” website, it states: “Our lawyers informed us that the Federal Judge in Fayetteville wasn’t going to move forward with our case and was going to “sit” on it. Our best course of action is to dismiss the suit and refile. Story Lawfirm spent some time editing the suit in hopes of avoiding Federal Court and the same delays as before.”
The original lawsuit, filed August 18 in Benton County Circuit Court argued that the district did not have the legal authority to require wearing masks in schools and that the decision violate the personal liberties of families secured by the U.S. and Arkansas Constitutions. The lawsuit called for a temporary bock of the mask mandate until a judgment could be made in the case.
The latest lawsuit was filed Thursday, September 9 in Benton County Circuit Court. One of the plaintiffs, Bentonville parent Elizabeth Bennett said, “We are praying hard that justice will be served and the rule of law will be upheld as it sets a precedent for every action our school boards take in the future. If we let Bentonville Schools continue to make decisions that are unlawful and void of accountability, then we give permission simply by doing nothing.”
We are thankful to these brave parents standing up for their children, and we hope it will embolden others to do the same.
Read the entire lawsuit below.
