HARRISBURG, PA. (Erie News Now) – On Tuesday the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will decide to fate of the Commonwealth’s school mask mandate.
The school mask mandate was signed by Pennsylvania Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam on Aug. 31.
On Sep. 7, State Senate President Pro Tempore, Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte) alongside other lawmakers, parents, and schools, filed a lawsuit in the Commonwealth Court challenging the legitimacy of the mandate. Their argument was that the mandate was issued improperly and in the absence of an emergency declaration.
Roughly a month after the lawsuit was filed, Governor Wolf announced he would return masking decisions to local school districts in mid-January.
Gov. Wolf’s announcement was issued just two days before the Commonwealth Court ruled in favor of throwing away the mask mandate on Nov. 10.
The Commonwealth Court ruling was almost immediately appealed by the Health Department to the State Supreme Court. At the time, this meant the mandate would stand until the scheduled Supreme Court date of Dec. 10.
However, on Nov. 16, the Commonwealth Court said otherwise, and ordered the school mask mandate to expire on Dec. 4.
In response to that proposed expiration date, the Supreme Court exerted it’s authority this past Tuesday by reinstating the mandate, temporarily, until the State Supreme Court case which starts Dec. 8.
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