As with any readily available form, nonqualified individuals may attempt to use them,” said Frank Sommerville, a Texas-based attorney and CPA who serves as a senior editorial advisor with, a CT sister site. Government regulators face the difficult task of discerning when an individual possesses a sincerely held religious belief and should be exempt. “The Louisiana Attorney General’s suggested letters attempt to fill the guidance void regarding religious exemptions to government mandates. Legal experts suggested that both officials and pastors themselves should be cautious about the parental exemption letters. “By adopting these measures-and ignoring those that are unwilling to acknowledge the current crisis-we can keep our kids in school this year and keep them safe,” the governor said. The question is: ‘Who gets to determine the healthcare choices for you and your child?’ In a free society, the answer is the citizen - not the state,” Landry wrote on Facebook.Įdwards accused the attorney general of creating confusion and defended his policy on face coverings. “Louisiana is not governed by a dictatorship. The letters have been shared by GOP lawmakers and thousands of others. John Bel Edwards, posted sample letters that would allow parents to seek a philosophical or religious exemption from Edwards’s mask rule at schools-or from a vaccine requirement, if one is enacted. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican who regularly spars with Democratic Gov. They do not need a medical provider to sign off.īoard member Ali Seeling said the idea is to give parents “the freedom to make health decisions for their own children.” In Kansas, the Spring Hill school board is allowing parents to claim a medical or mental health exemption from the county’s requirement that elementary school students mask up. Kate Brown said she was shocked that Thielman was undermining her policies by “instructing students to lie” about having a disability.īrown has mandated masks in schools and vaccinations for all school staff amid a surge in infections that is clobbering Oregon. In a letter to educators this past week, Democratic Gov. “I’ve got a majority of my parents saying, ‘Are there any options?’” “The majority of my parents are skeptical and are no longer believing what they’re told” about COVID-19, said Thielman, whose district in the state’s coastal mountains begins classes Monday. In Oregon, Superintendent Marc Thielman of the rural Alsea School District told parents they can sidestep the governor’s school mask requirement by applying for an accommodation for their children under federal disabilities law. “The question of who would have the authority to provide such support is another issue that would have to be considered.” Would it be coming from the elders as a whole? The pastor? One leader?,” said Erika Cole, a Christian and attorney based in Maryland. “A church would want to be cautious regarding who would be providing such support. Just as health experts question the guidelines for determining whether a child’s condition would merit an exception to mask requirements, some Christian legal experts say it is “troublesome” to require churches provide documentation for a person’s religious exemption. Mask and vaccine requirements vary from state to state but often allow exemptions for certain medical conditions or religious or philosophical objections. While proponents of these workarounds say they are looking out for children’s health and parents’ rights, others say such stratagems are dishonest and irresponsible and could undermine efforts to beat back the highly contagious delta variant. And Louisiana’s attorney general has posted sample letters on his office’s Facebook page for those seeking to get around the governor’s mask rules. A pastor at a California megachurch is offering religious exemptions for anyone morally conflicted over vaccine requirements. Some Christian leaders have spoken out alongside the public officials, doctors, and other community figures who are helping people circumvent COVID-19 precautions.Īn Oregon school superintendent is telling parents they can get their children out of wearing masks by citing federal disability law.
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