Last month, Missouri's Attorney General Eric Schmitt sent letters to school districts and public health agencies declaring that health orders issued under state health regulations were to end. 

This came after a ruling from Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green. 

In a press release, AG Schmitt stated that the letters argue that health orders, mask mandates, quarantine orders, or similar orders issued under previous statutes were declared unconstitutional. "Public health authorities and school districts have gone unchecked, issuing illegal and unconstitutional orders in their quest to aggregate, maintain, and exert their new-found power. My Office will enforce the Court's order across the state."

 Although the letters warned districts that they might face legal action if they ignored the new ruling, many districts have continued to enforce health orders and mask mandates. 

 The Attorney General's Office has sent out 52 cease and desist letters to school districts around the state where the Office received information from parents that the school district was continuing to enforce mask mandates and quarantine orders. This came after the AG Office received more than seventy-five hundred emails from concerned parents and students stating that school districts were enforcing health orders despite the recent Cole County ruling.

"Since then, we've received a tremendous response from parents who are fed up with school districts across the state continuing to force their children to wear a mask all day or quarantine when they're perfectly healthy," said Attorney General Schmitt. 

However, not all school districts are ignoring the new ruling. Christine Harper, Director of Communications for Mexico School District, stated that the district's top priority is to do what they can to keep staff and students safe and healthy. "We also know how important it is for students to be in-person for the best learning opportunities."

COVID policies at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year included increased disinfection efforts, including bus sanitation, social (physical) distancing, student and protective staff measures that included hand sanitizing, assigned seating, and face mask recommendation, all non-essential visitors and parents were not permitted beyond the secure vestibules at school buildings, staff and student 10-day isolation for positive COVID tests, and remote learning option for students.

Since the Mexico School District's Board-approved plan is based on current recommendations, the only significant change for the school system was regarding masks. As a result, masks remain optional for students and staff and are encouraged when social distancing cannot be maintained. The district will continue working to minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for students and staff.

The district stated that the decisions made for the new board-approved plan are similar to findings from districts approximately the same size as Mexico.