To combat the spread of COVID-19, President Joe Biden has insisted that all students and staff members in the nation’s public schools wear face masks at all times, and a number of districts have diligently obliged.

However, such rules may be unconstitutional in Missouri, according to the state’s attorney general, Eric Schmitt (R), is now suing hundreds of school districts for enforcing mask requirements on their campuses.

The lawsuits came after a number of school districts across the state defied Schmitt’s recent cease-and-desist letters regarding mask mandates and quarantine practices.

A county court judgement last year determined that numerous pandemic control measures imposed unilaterally by Missouri’s health director and local health departments were unlawful, prompting AG Schmitt’s recent move.

Schmitt interpreted the judgement to apply to school districts as well, and emphasized as much in his letters, which reportedly urged the districts to immediately cease relying on, enforcing, or publicizing any such directives.

The Missouri School Boards’ Association, of course, disagrees, and a number of districts across the state have publicly stated their refusal to comply with the attorney general’s directive, with some even threatening to file lawsuits and fight back in court.