Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is going to war with school leaders for having the audacity to try to keep their students and staff safe by requiring masks to be worn on campus during a huge surge in COVID-19 case numbers. Multiple Texas school districts have ignored Abbott’s executive order that banned mask mandates in schools and government entities, but he’s now threatening to challenge those decisions in court. On Wednesday, Abbott and state Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a petition to block a judge’s order requiring face masks inside schools and businesses in Dallas County, and, in a statement, Abbott threatened to take more legal action. “The path forward relies on personal responsibility—not government mandates,” said Abbott. “The State of Texas will continue to vigorously fight the temporary restraining order to protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans.” Abbott’s legal action came while some Texan ICU wards neared capacity as the Delta variant drives a surge in COVID-19 case numbers.
