Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has joined a private school in a lawsuit against Gov. Andy Beshear, arguing that a school closure order not only violated state law but also the First Amendment.
Earlier this week, the governor announced that most public and private K-12 schools must stop in-person classes starting Nov. 23. Middle and high schools will be required to remain in remote instruction until January. Elementary schools may reopen on Dec. 7 if the county they are located in is not in the “red zone.”
The order was issued to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
According to news reports, Cameron and Danville Christian Academy on Friday asked a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order that would block Beshear’s order from being implemented.
“The governor’s school-closure order prohibits religious organizations from educating children consistent with and according to their faith,” Cameron said in a statement. “The ability to provide and receive a private religious education is a core part of the freedoms protected by the First Amendment.”
In response, Beshear’s office said Cameron ”should stop playing politics and instead help Kentuckians understand what it takes to defeat this virus.”
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal. The vast majority of people recover.
The Associated Press
