A judge in Clinton County Court says the Carlyle School District does not have the authority to quarantine students.
As a result, a temporary injunction was issued Monday in favor of two Carlyle Unit School District parents whose children had been quarantined.
The attorney for the parents, Thomas DeVore, says the law is clear that only a county health department can quarantine a student and tell them when they can return to class. He argued the school district could not take over the role of quarantining students just because they were not getting the assistance they wanted from the county health department.
DeVore says while the temporary injunction only covers the two children named in the lawsuit, he doubts the school district would continue with their quarantine practice now that they know a judge has ruled against it.
Carlyle Superintendent Annie Gray was not available for comment on the court decision and any changes it may bring to how the district is handling COVID-19 cases.
Another court hearing has been set for September 27th if any other issues arise in the case.
Carlyle has been hard hit by the coronavirus, with 40 students testing positive and another 200 being listed as close contacts. The district has been authorized by the State Board of Education to utilize remote learning due to the high number of cases.
