Parents in Český Těšín, a town in the Karviná region, have sued their daughter’s school for forcing children to wear masks, citing that long-term mask-wearing endangers their health.
Michal Nešporek, school principal of Masarykova základní (Masaryk elementary and kindergarten), says he can’t do anything about the mask rule because it’s mandated by the Ministry of Education who has authority over his decisions. According to him, the Ministry hasn’t made a decision yet on what they’re going to do.
“I am not the relevant person to be dealing with this situation. We are obliged to comply with these regulations… So far, I haven’t received a response from the Ministry on whether or not they’re going to support me.”
Since the start of the school year, Nešporek has received 3 separate complaints about the masks, but only these particular parents have taken their concerns to court.
Nešporek also said that he was caught off guard by the lawsuit because the parents had already complained about the masks last year, and he thought he had talked them into it.
“I was surprised because I dealt with these parents over the phone last year. They sent a complaint about the mandatory wearing of masks at school on November 26, and I immediately called them; I thought we had a deal. They even wrote to me and said they understood the situation and would respect the rule of wearing masks.”
A decree from the Ministry of Health signed on December 7, 2020, forces the mandatory use of masks in all schools. This lawsuit will reportedly be divided into two parts, one being dealt with in the Ostrava Regional Court, and one in Prague.
