{"id":2130067,"date":"2023-12-20T16:10:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T21:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rhode-island-parents-score-major-legal-win-against-the-states-school-mask-mandates\/"},"modified":"2023-12-20T16:18:31","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T21:18:31","slug":"rhode-island-parents-score-major-legal-win-against-the-states-school-mask-mandates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rhode-island-parents-score-major-legal-win-against-the-states-school-mask-mandates\/","title":{"rendered":"Rhode Island parents triumph over state&#8217;s school mask mandates in legal battle"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frhode-island-parents-score-major-legal-win-against-the-states-school-mask-mandates%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2130067&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>The Fight Against School Mask Mandates in Rhode \u2064Island<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Parents challenging\u2062 Rhode Island\u2019s school mask mandate scored a major court victory last week that will greatly impact how the state handles potential future \u200cpublic health\u200b outbreaks.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The legal saga began in September 2021, when several Rhode Island parents filed a \u200ccomplaint in Providence County Superior Court against Democrat Gov. Daniel McKee and Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of Rhode Island\u2019s Department of Health (RIDOH), over the state\u2019s then-enacted school mask mandate. In response to the Covid outbreak, then-Democrat Gov. Gina Raimondo issued an executive order on March 9, 2020, declaring\u200c a state of emergency. From that \u200ddate until July 2,\u200d 2021, Raimondo and McKee \u2014 who took office in March 2021 \u2014 issued a combined 78 executive orders\u200b related to Covid.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1212275690\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0ea4f91fe1e2125a18f1b5933bcd3cd1 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0ea4f91fe1e2125a18f1b5933bcd3cd1\"><\/div>\n<p>On July 6, 2021, the Rhode\u2063 Island legislature passed a \u2062measure terminating the governor\u2019s authority to issue Covid orders, prompting McKee to rescind all existing and related directives that same day. This, however, did\u2063 not stop\u2063 McKee from issuing a pair of Covid-linked executive orders on Aug. 19, 2021, one of which required Rhode Island public schools \u201cto abide by a universal indoor masking \u200cprotocol developed by the [RIDOH]\u201d mandating \u201cmasking by all students (age 2 and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to \u200cK-12 schools.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On June 29, 2021, the state\u2019s education department,\u200b \u201cin conjunction\u200d with the RIDOH and \u200bthe Governor,\u201d announced back-to-school guidance for the upcoming academic year, allowing local \u2063districts to decide\u200c whether masks should be mandatory \u200dor optional. Many localities subsequently adopted\u2063 a policy of \u201cstrongly recommending,\u201d\u2063 but not mandating, masks for students, faculty, and visitors.<\/p>\n<p>McKee\u2019s August 2021 order prompted Rhode Island parents to file the aforementioned complaint, documenting the lack \u2062of\u2062 evidence supporting universal masking and requesting the \u200bcourt declare the \u200cdirective unlawful. Plaintiffs also requested the court issue a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-georgia-update-judge-issues-restraining-order-for-10-days-preventing-defendants-from-destroying-or-erasing-dominion-voting-machines\/\" title=\"BREAKING GEORGIA UPDATE: Judge Issues Restraining Order for 10 Days Preventing Defendants from Destroying or Erasing Dominion Voting Machines\">temporary restraining order<\/a>\u200b and\u2064 preliminary and\u200c permanent injunction prohibiting McKee from issuing additional \u200dCovid-related executive orders\u200d and declaring the governor\u2019s standing orders and RIDOH\u2019s school masking guidance as void.<\/p>\n<p>While McKee \u200dand RIDOH <a href=\"https:\/\/governor.ri.gov\/press-releases\/governor-mckee-ridoh-announce-plan-lift-statewide-school-mask-mandate-and-allow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lifted<\/a> the school\u2063 mask mandate in March 2022, parties in the case continued to engage in litigation for the next year and a half.\u200b On Dec. 12, they\u200b agreed to a settlement that commits\u2064 RIDOH to follow the normal regulatory process and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jan-6-committee-to-hold-eight-public-hearings-in-june\/\" title=\"Jan 6 Committee to Hold Eight Public Hearings in June\">hold public hearings<\/a> \u201con \u200bwhether masking in schools is \u2062efficacious \u2062and safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-af040687565e1e2664db86b1436214d0 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-af040687565e1e2664db86b1436214d0\"><\/div>\n<p>According to the plaintiffs\u2019\u2064 press release, RIDOH has \u2062agreed to provide Notice \u2062of a Public Hearing \u201cwithin 30 days of the entry of a dismissal stipulation\u201d\u200b in compliance with the regulatory process as specified by the state\u2019s Administrative Procedures Act\u2063 that\u2064 will \u2062determine \u201cwhether, in the future, forced masking in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/protesters-crowd-floridas-capitol-building-chant-f-desantis-over-parental-rights-bill\/\" title=\"Protesters Crowd Florida\u2019s Capitol Building, Chant \u2018F*** DeSantis\u2019 Over Parental Rights Bill\">public school setting<\/a> is appropriate.\u201d The dismissal stipulation \u2063is expected to\u2064 be submitted before \u2064the end of this year.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"SKOkPWyLNMs07d1I8cq9xTnaF4uG6JvUpACorVXgfwhHm2BDQzbj3iEtRleZ5\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ratio ratio-16x9\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Victory! Southwell V. McKee!\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-AO-8EV08uQ?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Plaintiffs intend to call medical specialists to discuss the inefficacy \u2064and harms associated with forced masking during the aforementioned hearing, which will be\u2064 open to the public. Following the hearing, RIDOH has \u200dagreed to produce a \u201ccost-benefit analysis of the forced\u2064 masking \u200cof schoolchildren,\u201d which the state has declined to do \u200duntil now. Greg Piccirilli, the plaintiffs\u2019 lawyer, told The Federalist he\u200c expects the hearing to occur \u2062in spring 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Rhode Island\u200b health officials agreed to alter guidance \u200bto public schools, clarifying that \u201cthere is not now\u2063 and will not be a \u2018mask mandate\u2019 for students, even those who test positive \u200bfor COVID,\u201d who were exposed to the virus, or show Covid-like\u2064 symptoms. In exchange for these actions, the plaintiffs have agreed to drop their lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis was never a case about parents looking for money. We just wanted\u2063 the state to follow the regular normal regulatory procedure,\u201d Piccirilli told The Federalist. \u201cWe\u2019re hoping to really create\u2063 a record\u2062 that people will be able to look to in the future, so if they ever try to do something like this again, we\u2019ll be able to say, \u2018No, the evidence\u2062 shows that [mandatory masking] doesn\u2019t work.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" title=\"Amended Complaint, Southwell v. McKee\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/embeds\/693636014\/content?start_page=1&#038;view_mode=scroll&#038;access_key=key-pY1so9hheLhUC33LHk2e\" tabindex=\"0\" data-auto-height=\"true\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.7729220222793488\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;\"><a title=\"View Amended Complaint, Southwell v. McKee on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/693636014\/Amended-Complaint-Southwell-v-McKee#from_embed\" style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Amended Complaint, Southwel\u2026<\/a> by <a title=\"View The Federalist's profile on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/user\/274202084\/The-Federalist#from_embed\" style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Federalist<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Science Is In<\/h2>\n<p>Despite so-called \u201cexperts,\u201d like Dr. Anthony Fauci, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/06\/02\/emails-show-fauci-knew-masks-werent-very-effective-before-pushing-universal-masking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">flip-flopping<\/a> on the subject, \u2062forced masking has proven to be ineffective at stopping the spread \u2064of Covid. Earlier this year, for example, a study <a href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/2023\/02\/07\/masks-covid-dont-work-cochrane-library-review-mandate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">published<\/a> by the Cochrane\u200d Library \u2014 which is <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/09\/06\/petty-covid-tyrants-want-to-bring-back-masks-and-lockdowns-dont-let-them\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">considered<\/a> to be the \u201cgold standard for health care data review\u201d \u2014 found that wearing\u2063 masks \u201cmakes little or no difference to influenza-like or COVID-19-like \u200cillness transmission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The study came roughly a year\u2064 after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tacitly <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/01\/17\/cdc-finally-admits-cloth-masks-were-always-political-theater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">admitted<\/a> that cloth masks \u201cprovide the least protection\u201d against Covid.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[RELATED:\u200b[RELATED:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/07\/25\/emails-show-fauci-knew-from-a-2020-federalist-article-that-masking-was-ineffective-but-demanded-it-anyway\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Emails Show Fauci\u200c Knew From A 2020 Federalist Article That Masking \u2063Was Ineffective But Demanded It Anyway<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mandatory masking \u2063in schools is even more ludicrous when\u200b considering that children are the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/06\/28\/why-arent-more-republicans-highlighting-the-risks-of-giving-infants-covid-shots\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">least at-risk<\/a> age demographic with respect to Covid. In addition to children <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/32371442\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">not being super-spreaders<\/a> \u200d of the virus, <a href=\"https:\/\/static1.squarespace.com\/static\/61e5afd7a33d334ec9f84595\/t\/628aea6c77428c2e703b27a2\/1653271150836\/Children+COVID+and+the+Urgency+of+Normal+The+Under+Age+5+Edition.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">research shows<\/a> the majority of American \u200cchildren already \u2064recovered from Covid by early 2022 and therefore possess immunity to reinfection.<\/p>\n<p>As part of their efforts to dispel Rhode Island\u2019s baseless school masking policy, plaintiffs in <em>Southwell v. McKee<\/em> relied upon the expertise of Dr.\u2062 Andrew Bostom, an epidemiologist and retired Brown\u200b University associate \u2064professor\u200c of \u2063internal and\u2064 family medicine.\u200b In his capacity as \u2062an expert witness, Bostom <a href=\"https:\/\/www.andrewbostom.org\/2021\/10\/my-certified-rhode-island-superior-court-testimony-in-southwell-v-mckee-on-randomized-controlled-trial-disproven-community-masking-for-respiratory-virus-infection-the-overwhelmingly-mild-nature-of\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">presented<\/a> data documenting the grossly inaccurate modeling used to justify tyrannical Covid policies such as forced masking. He also referenced data from the RIDOH\u2019s own <a href=\"https:\/\/ri-department-of-health-covid-19-response-severity-rihealth.hub.arcgis.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Covid information hub<\/a> showing <em>zero<\/em> Rhode Island children died from Covid \u200csince the \u2064outbreak began.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no justification\u201d for masking, Bostom told The Federalist. \u201cWe have to rely on randomized controlled trials when it comes to questions like community masking, \u200cthat\u2019s the highest\u200c form of evidence.\u2062 If \u200bthere\u2019s \u200cno other evidence, so be it. But we had\u200d a lot of evidence before Covid \u200b [that this policy doesn\u2019t work in stopping the spread of respiratory disease.]\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Similar to their attacks against other doctors who refused to \u200caccept government narratives on Covid without question, legacy media \u2062have attempted to discredit Bostom as a credible voice on the issue. \u2063In its October 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.providencejournal.com\/story\/news\/education\/2021\/10\/05\/dr-andrew-bostom-brown-university-testifies-mask-litigation\/6004982001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> on\u200b <em>Southwell v. McKee<\/em>, for instance, \u200bThe Providence \u2062Journal\u200d tried to delegitimize \u2062Bostom\u2019s medical expertise by referencing his appearances in conservative media and prior scholarly writings on Islam.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome television viewers\u200c might recognize \u2063Dr. Andrew Bostom for his television appearances on Fox News and C-SPAN, where\u2062 he has made appearances as \u200dan author with much to say \u200cabout Islamic jihad,\u201d the article reads. Another local outlet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.golocalprov.com\/news\/The-Researcher-Brown-University-Doesnt-Want-You-to-Know-About\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">advanced<\/a> claims questioning Bostom\u2019s ties to Brown.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was just trying to\u200b get people to\u200d calm down and behave \u200bin a rational,\u200b evidence-based way, and these people were out\u201d to destroy me, Bostom said. \u201cIt was shocking.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Road Ahead<\/h2>\n<p>In his closing remarks,\u200c Piccirilli expressed hope that\u200b last week\u2019s court settlement will set a standard compelling other states and the federal government to follow \u2062the regulatory process and hold public hearings \u200cwhen issuing public health edicts that\u200b greatly impact people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the \u2062evidence is so clear, have a\u200d public hearing. Have the debate. \u2026 That\u2019s the way the law has been for decades,\u201d Piccirilli said. This wasn\u2019t done with Covid \u201cbecause the \u2063evidence didn\u2019t support what they were\u200c doing, and\u2062 they were afraid to have public hearings. So, not only should every state be doing this like they do with every regulation they pass, but the federal government should be doing it [as well].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bostom voiced similar optimism, suggesting the exposure of health officials\u2019 lies during the Covid pandemic will \u200bprompt more Americans \u2063to \u2063support evidentiary-based hearings on issues related to public health.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvidence needs to be needs to be\u2063 presented and debated openly and fairly,\u201d Bostom said.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What evidence did the plaintiffs present in the Southwell v. McKee case \u2062to challenge\u2064 the effectiveness of forced masking\u2062 in schools<\/h2>\n<p><span>  The Fight Against School\u2062 Mask \u2064Mandates in Rhode \u2064Island<\/p>\n<p>Parents challenging\u2062 Rhode Island\u2019s \u200bschool mask mandate scored a major\u2062 court victory last week that will \u200bgreatly impact how the state handles potential future \u200cpublic health\u200b\u2062 outbreaks.<\/p>\n<p>The legal saga \u2064began \u200bin September 2021 when several Rhode\u200d Island\u200b parents \u200cfiled \u2062a \u200ccomplaint in Providence County Superior \u200cCourt against Democrat \u200dGov. Daniel McKee and Nicole Alexander-Scott,\u200d the director of Rhode Island\u2019s Department of Health (RIDOH), over the state\u2019s then-enacted school mask \u200dmandate. \u200dIn response to the\u200b Covid outbreak, then-Democrat Gov. Gina Raimondo \u200dissued an executive order on \u2063March 9, 2020, declaring\u200c \u200ca state of emergency. From that \u200ddate until\u200b July 2,\u200d 2021, Raimondo and McKee \u2014 who \u200btook office in March 2021 \u2014 issued\u200b a combined \u206378\u200c executive \u200corders\u200b related to Covid.<\/p>\n<p>On July 6, 2021, the Rhode\u2063 Island legislature passed a \u2062measure terminating the\u200c governor\u2019s authority to issue Covid orders, \u2063prompting \u200cMcKee to \u200drescind all existing and related \u2062directives that same\u2063 day. This, however, did\u2063 not stop\u2063 McKee from issuing a pair of Covid-linked executive orders on Aug. 19, 2021, one of\u2063 which required Rhode Island public schools \u201cto \u200babide by a universal indoor masking \u200cprotocol developed\u2064 by the [RIDOH]\u201d mandating\u2064 \u201cmasking by all students \u200d(age 2 and older),\u200c staff, teachers,\u200c and \u200dvisitors to \u200cK-12 schools.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On June 29, \u20632021, \u2064the state\u2019s education department,\u200b \u201cin \u2062conjunction\u200d \u200bwith the RIDOH\u2062 and \u200bthe Governor,\u201d announced back-to-school\u2063 guidance for the upcoming academic year, allowing local \u2063districts to decide\u200c whether masks should be mandatory \u200dor optional. Many localities subsequently adopted\u2063 a\u200d policy of \u201cstrongly recommending,\u201d\u2063 but not mandating, masks for students, faculty, and\u200b visitors.<\/p>\n<p>McKee\u2019s August 2021 order \u2063prompted Rhode Island parents to file the aforementioned complaint, documenting the lack \u2062of\u2062 evidence supporting universal masking and requesting the \u200b\u200bcourt declare the\u2063 \u200cdirective unlawful. Plaintiffs also requested\u200c the \u2064court issue a temporary restraining order\u200b\u2063 and\u2064 preliminary and\u200c\u2063 permanent injunction\u2062 prohibiting McKee from\u200b issuing additional \u200b\u200dCovid-related executive orders\u200d and declaring\u2064 the \u200dgovernor\u2019s standing orders \u200cand RIDOH\u2019s school masking guidance as \u2064void.<\/p>\n<p>While McKee \u200dand RIDOH lifted the school\u2063 mask mandate in March\u200c 2022, parties in\u200c the case continued to engage in litigation for the\u2063 next \u2062year\u2063 and a half.\u200b On Dec. 12, they\u200b agreed \u200cto a settlement that commits\u2064\u2064 RIDOH to \u2063follow the normal regulatory \u2064process and hold public hearings \u201con \u200bwhether masking in schools is \u2062efficacious \u2062and\u200c safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to the\u200c plaintiffs\u2019\u2064 press release, RIDOH has \u2062agreed \u2062to provide Notice \u2062of a Public Hearing\u200d \u201cwithin 30 days of the entry\u200b of a dismissal stipulation\u201d\u200b in compliance with \u200cthe \u200dregulatory\u2062 process as specified by the state\u2019s Administrative Procedures Act\u2063 that\u2064 will \u2062determine\u200d \u201cwhether, in the future, forced masking\u2062 in a public school setting is appropriate.\u201d The dismissal stipulation \u2063is expected to\u2064 be submitted before\u200b \u2064the end of this year.<\/p>\n<p>Plaintiffs intend\u2063 to call medical specialists\u200d to discuss\u2064 the inefficacy \u2064and harms\u2062 associated \u200bwith forced masking during the aforementioned hearing, which will be\u2064 open to the public. \u200cFollowing the hearing, RIDOH has \u2063\u200dagreed to produce a \u201ccost-benefit analysis of the forced\u2064 \u200bmasking \u200cof schoolchildren,\u201d which the state has\u200c declined to do \u200duntil\u200c now. \u2063Greg Piccirilli, the plaintiffs\u2019 lawyer,\u200c told The Federalist he\u200c \u2063expects the hearing to occur \u2062in spring 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Rhode Island\u200b health officials\u200c agreed to alter guidance \u200bto public\u2063 schools,\u200c clarifying that \u201cthere is not \u200bnow\u2063 and will not\u2063 be a \u2018mask mandate\u2019 for students, even those\u2062 who test positive \u200bfor COVID,\u201d who were exposed to the \u200bvirus, or show Covid-like\u2064 symptoms. In exchange for these \u200dactions, \u200bthe plaintiffs have\u2064 agreed to\u200b drop their lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis was never a\u2064 case about parents looking for money. We just \u200bwanted\u2063 the state to follow the regular normal regulatory procedure,\u201d\u2062 Piccirilli told The Federalist.\u2064 \u201cWe\u2019re hoping\u200b to really create\u2063 a \u2063record\u2062\u200d that \u2062people \u200cwill be able\u2064 to look to in\u200d the future, so if they ever try \u2063to do something like \u200dthis again, \u2064we\u2019ll be able to say, \u2018No, the evidence\u2062 shows \u2062that [mandatory masking] doesn\u2019t work.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The\u200b Science Is In<\/p>\n<p>Despite so-called \u201cexperts,\u201d like Dr. Anthony Fauci, flip-flopping\u2064 on the subject, \u2062forced masking has proven to be ineffective at stopping the spread \u2064of Covid. \u200dEarlier \u2063this year, for example, a study published by the Cochrane\u200d Library \u200b\u2014 which is considered to be the \u201cgold standard for health care \u200ddata review\u201d \u2014 found\u200c that wearing\u2063 masks \u201cmakes little or \u200bno difference to\u200b influenza-like or COVID-19-like \u200cillness\u2062 transmission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The study came roughly a year\u2064 after the Centers for Disease Control \u2063and Prevention tacitly admitted that cloth\u200d masks\u2064 \u201cprovide the \u2063least protection\u201d against Covid.<\/p>\n<p>Mandatory masking \u2063in schools \u200dis even more ludicrous when\u200b \u200cconsidering that children are the least\u2064 at-risk age demographic with respect to Covid. In addition\u200c to children not\u2062 being super-spreaders \u200d of the virus,\u2064 research shows the majority of American\u2062 \u200cchildren already\u200b \u2064recovered from\u200b Covid by early\u2064 2022 and\u2063 therefore possess immunity to reinfection.<\/p>\n<p>As part \u200cof\u2064 their \u200cefforts\u2064 to dispel\u200c Rhode Island\u2019s baseless school masking policy, plaintiffs in Southwell v. McKee relied\u200c upon the expertise of Dr.\u2062 \u2063Andrew Bostom, an epidemiologist \u2064and retired Brown\u200b University associate\u200c \u2064professor\u200c of \u2063internal and\u2064 family \u2063medicine.\u200b In his \u200ccapacity as \u200c\u2062an expert witness, Bostom presented data documenting the grossly \u2063inaccurate \u2062modeling used to justify tyrannical Covid policies\u2063 such \u2063as forced \u2062masking. He also\u2064 referenced data from the RIDOH\u2019s own Covid\u2063 information\u2062 hub showing\u2062 zero Rhode Island\u200d children died\u200c from Covid \u200csince the \u2064outbreak began.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no justification\u201d for masking,\u200c Bostom told The Federalist. \u201cWe have \u2062to rely\u2064 on randomized controlled \u2063trials when it comes to questions like community masking, \u200cthat\u2019s the highest\u200c form of evidence.\u2062 If \u200bthere\u2019s \u200cno other evidence,\u2064 so be it. But we had\u200d a lot\u2062 of evidence \u2064before Covid\u200c \u200b [that this policy doesn\u2019t work in stopping the spread of respiratory disease.]\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Similar to their attacks\u2063 against other \u200ddoctors who refused to \u200caccept government narratives on Covid without\u200d question, legacy media \u2062have attempted to discredit \u200bBostom\u200d as a credible \u200dvoice on the \u2062issue.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the \u200bfight against school \u2062mask mandates in Rhode Island \u200bhas resulted in a\u2064 significant court victory for parents. The settlement reached in the \u200cSouthwell v. McKee case will require the state to follow a proper regulatory process and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ratcliffe-faults-biden-administration-for-lack-of-ufo-transparency\/\" title=\"Ratcliffe criticizes Biden admin's UFO secrecy.\">hold public\u200b hearings<\/a> on the efficacy and safety of masking in \u200bschools. The science has shown \u2063that forced \u2063masking is\u200d ineffective in preventing the spread of Covid,\u2064 especially among children who are at\u200b low risk. This victory marks an important step\u200c in ensuring that future decisions regarding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/locally-acquired-case-of-extremely-rare-dengue-fever-found-in-california\/\" title=\"Rare case of locally-acquired Dengue fever discovered in California.\">public \u200bhealth measures<\/a> are based on sound evidence \u2062and respect the rights of individuals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rhode Island parents won a significant court battle against the school mask mandate. This victory will shape the state&#8217;s approach to future health crises. In September 2021, parents filed a complaint against Gov. Daniel McKee and Nicole Alexander-Scott in Providence County Superior Court<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2130068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2130067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2130067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2130067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2130067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2130068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2130067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2130067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2130067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}