New Hanover Republican leader suing school board, sheriff's office over mask mandate

The chairman of the New Hanover County Republican Liberty Caucus is suing the New Hanover County Board of Education and the sheriff's office for allegedly violating first amendment rights by denying protestors entry to a school board meeting.

The lawsuit, initiated Thursday by David Perry, was filed following protests at the Board of Education Center when law enforcement barred protestors from entering the building without a mask. Some who entered and removed their masks upon entry were asked to leave by the board and removed by law enforcement.

"What happened at the October 5th meeting of the New Hanover County Board of Education was disgraceful, a frontal assault on liberty, and something that never should happen in the 'Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave,'" David Perry said in an online blog post.

Perry alleges the board and sheriff's office violated the protestors' First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom to petition, and also violated North Carolina statute on open meetings, which allows anyone to attend governmental meetings.

Read more: https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/2021/10/15/wilmington-nc-republican-leader-initiates-lawsuit-over-school-board-mask-mandate/8469782002/