A group calling itself the Northland Parent Association has asked a federal judge to block Kansas City’s school mask mandate on an expedited basis.
The group filed the motion in an ongoing lawsuit it filed in August, when it sued seven school districts, Kansas City officials and North Kansas City officials over their mask and quarantine policies.
In its motion, the group says the court should block an ordinance passed Thursday by the Kansas City Council rescinding its citywide mask order but leaving it in place for schools.
“The students in masks have suffered long enough and need relief from this Court, especially when the Mask Mandate at issue is so blatantly baseless …,” the motion states.
Public health officials continue to recommend that schoolchildren wear masks in school. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends universal indoor masking by all students age 2 and older, staff, teachers and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of their vaccination status.
Northland Parent Association was incorporated as a nonprofit in August, according to its articles of incorporation. The articles state that it’s based in Harrisonville, Missouri. Its incorporator was Kevin Corlew, a Gladstone, Missouri, lawyer who filed the lawsuit.
Corlew was formerly a Republican member of the Missouri House. He narrowly lost his bid for re-election in 2018 after serving in the House since 2015. He ran for a Northland state Senate seat in 2018 but was defeated by Democrat Lauren Arthur, a former teacher.
