Girl, 12, in High Court bid to end school face mask policy

A GIRL of 12 is suing her school over wearing face masks, claiming it can cause children long-term and serious harm.

The pupil, who is exempt from wearing a mask, is trying to stop Tapton Academy School Trust “requiring or encouraging” youngsters to use masks.

The trust says it only encourages mask wearing to protect children, staff and visitors.

It says 120 of 1,000 staff members at its primary and secondary schools in the Sheffield area had contracted Covid since the end of last August.

Lawyers for the girl, known as AB, yesterday asked the High Court for an interim injunction preventing her school and the trust from making children wear masks. Francis Hoar, for AB, said: “The school’s policy risks causing children serious harm to their physical health and their mental health.

Enforced

“If the trust had done its job properly...it would have gathered evidence and reached a view as to the effectiveness of this particular measure, but it has done no such thing.

“There is no evidence, effectively, of the efficacy of these instruments.”

Mr Hoar said although AB did not have to wear a mask, she still faced an environment where all except disabled pupils must wear face coverings. He added: “That is enforced, the child says, aggressively.”

Ben Bentley, for the trust, said no other complaints had been received from pupils of staff about the policy.

He said this case was brought by “one claimant in the school at which, we are told, there are 1,000 pupils”.

The lawyer also said stopping the trust encouraging children and staff to wear masks could lead to further legal action from pupils who backed the policy.

Judge Roger ter Haar QC will rule on the case at a later date.