In a Constant State of Flux

I’d also like to acknowledge that the legal intricacies surrounding mask mandates are myriad; court decisions in various states have shown that nothing is cut and dried. In 16 states as well as DC, statewide mask mandates for schools are in place. Of the nine states that have issued mask mandate bans, four of those states have the bans in effect, while five have seen them blocked, suspended, or unenforced. In each of these cases, there have been challenges to both mandates and bans of mandates, and most states are seeing incredible complexities and changes in legal decisions.

In our own state, a recent Commonwealth Court decision ruled that Governor Wolf’s statewide mask mandate in schools should be thrown out because the health secretary does not have the authority to issue such an order. (The Department of Health has appealed this ruling, meaning the mandate remains in effect.)

But while our understanding of freedom in this country will constantly be in flux and debated, one basic principle remains the same: it is in no way absolute.