Six teachers were fired from their positions for refusing to wear masks after a mask mandate was implemented in their district.
The Oklahoma City public school board recently decided to vote on the termination of six teachers for refusing to wear masks earlier in the school year. The vote was unanimous and the teachers were removed from their positions. They have filed a lawsuit against the district and superintendent.
The teachers were suspended on Aug. 16 after the mandate went into effect. They chose not to comply and did not file for medical exemptions.
One of the teachers, James Taylor, told Fox News “It was not about the mask. It was never about the mask. It was always about the rule of law”. Taylor noted that Oklahoma Senate bill 658 says masks cannot be mandated unless there is a state of emergency declared by the governor.
Well, that wasn’t the case. It was just always about the rule of law. And as I said in my testimony, if the rule of law is ignored, then we no longer have a republic, we have tyranny and that’s what the bottom line is.
James taylor
Another teacher, Grace Trick, is an Argentina native and said she “never thought this would happen in the United States of America”.
“I was just deeply saddened to see someone in power believe that they’re above the law and when I became a United States citizen, I took an oath to follow the law. We as educators should be the moral example for students to follow,” she explained.
Nelson, Grace’s husband, was also fired from his teaching position.
Blake Sonne, a lawyer representing the teachers, said “It’s really a travesty, honestly. We’re at a teacher shortage in Oklahoma. And we have five excellent tenured teachers that were just let go because the superintendent and now the school board decided that they were above the law”.
Sean McDaniel, the superintendent, claimed the teachers “crossed what I believe to be statutory lines and expectations for our educators”.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt released a video statement criticizing the district’s termination of the six teachers. “These are the types of misguided decisions that are leaving many parents across the country so frustrated with their local schools!” he said.