Two Dallas parents have filed a lawsuit against Dallas Independent School District (DISD) and several administrators, alleging their children faced retaliation for not complying with the district’s 2021 mask mandate. The parents claim staff at George Bannerman Dealey Montessori Academy subjected their fifth- and eighth-grade children to abuse and segregation, despite medical exemptions from the mandate.
In 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott lifted statewide COVID mask mandates. However, then-Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa maintained the requirement in the district. The children, citing documented medical reasons, refused to wear masks but continued attending school.
The parents allege district staff retaliated against the children, isolating them in plexiglass cages, segregating them from peers during lunch, and forcing them to spend school days in the library. Additionally, the lawsuit claims the district fabricated a major school disruption to justify transferring the children to an alternative school. Confidential health and school records were also allegedly leaked.
Lauren Davis, a parent of one of the children came forward in a statement, saying, “My children paid the price for Superintendent Hinojosa’s political attack on Governor Abbott disguised as a concern for safety. I can assure you Hinojosa did not keep my kids safe. His actions were cruel and abusive,” said Davis. “We want to make certain nothing like this happens to any other children, anywhere. If a parent or babysitter did this to a child… They lose the child and lose their freedom. But because it happened in a school, it’s OK? No. It’s cruel and it’s abuse.”
The lawsuit names Hinojosa, Chief of Staff Pamela Lear, Chief of Schools Tiffany Huitt, Principal Beth Wing, DISD administrators Ryan Zysk and Marnie Glaser, and others as defendants. It accuses the district of denying the children access to education, exposing them to unsafe conditions, and punishing them for their political views.
The family is requesting a jury trial and financial compensation for damages, legal fees, and other remedies. Dallas ISD has not commented on the case.
