CT Attorney General Tong says school face-mask lawsuit a ‘stunt’

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has denounced a lawsuit challenging the state mandate requiring students to wear face masks when returning to school as a “politically motivated stunt.”

The lawsuit was filed by the Ridgefield-based Connecticut Freedom Alliance and two Connecticut parents against the state”™s Department of Education and Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona, arguing “violated state law and the Connecticut Constitution in issuing the school mask mandate on the basis of no legal authority, either in statute or in regulation.”

Connecticut Freedom Alliance ”“ which identifies itself as a coalition focused on “preserving and expanding individual rights and freedoms in Connecticut” ”“ also issued a press statement arguing that face masks were “not only woefully ineffective at preventing the spread of the Covid-19 virus, but also emotionally, psychologically, and physically harmful to children when worn for extended periods of time.”

Tong called the plaintiffs”™ claims as “not serious,” adding they “have no right to make themselves or anyone else sick.”

“This lawsuit, led by two members of the General Assembly, is little more than a politically motivated stunt that wastes time and resources that should be fully dedicated to public health and the critical work of the state,” Tong said in a statement on his social media pages.

While not identifying the legislators by name, Tong was referring to Craig Fishbein and Doug Dubitsky, Republican legislators who are also attorneys in the lawsuit against the state.