Parents in one Michigan city have banded together to compel their school district to quit forcing their students to wear masks. Citizens of Walled Lake, a city 35 miles northwest of Detroit, presented a demand letter to Oakland County and the Walled Lake Consolidated School District insisting that the school quit enforcing the county health department mask mandate and using public funds to do so. The letter was presented by the Walled Lake Citizens for Parental Rights at the February 3, 2022, Walled Lake Consolidated School District Board of Education meeting. Thomas More Society attorneys are representing Walled Lake Citizens for Parental Rights in this action to force the school board to comply with state law.

“This is a simple case,” explained Thomas More Society Special Counsel Erick Kaardal. “A Michigan state law forbids the use of public funds to enforce a mask mandate against anyone under the age of 18. On September 29, 2021, Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, signed into law Public Act No. 87, which authorizes appropriations for Michigan and local governments. It states, in Section 250, that ‘The Director or a local health officer shall not issue or enforce any orders or directives that require an individual in this state who is under the age of 18 to wear a face mask or face covering.’ There’s no fancy language, and no need to interpret anything. Oakland County and the Walled Lake Consolidated School District are breaking the law.”

The demand letter details the violations of the law as applied to the Walled Lake and Oakland County schools and clearly states the intention of Walled Lake Citizens for Parental Rights to file a taxpayer lawsuit against the school district and county if the mask mandate for students is not rescinded.

Walled Lake Citizens for Parental Rights have demanded a response to the letter within seven days. The group has communicated, verbally and in writing, to both the school district and the county, that the mask mandate for students is a violation of state law. Concerns over the matter have been raised repeatedly during school board public comment.

“Over the past several months, Walled Lake Citizens for Parental Rights has made numerous efforts to convince the Walled Lake Consolidated School District to stop their misuse of taxpayer funds enforcing a mask mandate in violation of state law,” stated Nathan Pawl, the group’s spokesperson. “Unfortunately, the district has not listened to the voices of parents and students, and we must now proceed with legal action to stop this misuse of taxpayer funds and the erosion of public trust that accompanies it.”

The letter informs the officials of Oakland County and the Walled Lake Consolidated School District that they “need to make an immediate decision to stop wasting taxpayer funds on enforcing a legally unauthorized and legally violative mask mandate.”

“Otherwise,” assured Kaardal, “a taxpayer lawsuit will be filed forthwith.”

Read the Demand Letter, delivered at the February 3, 2022, Walled Lake Consolidated School District Board of Education meeting to Walled Lake Consolidated School District Board of Education and Oakland County, Michigan, officials by Walled Lake Citizens for Parental Rights, as represented by Thomas More Society attorneys, here.