Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin responds to AG Wilson’s lawsuit over mask mandate in schools

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin released a statement in response to the suit filed by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson over the City of Columbia’s mask mandate in elementary and middle schools. In the suit filed Thursday, Wilson is asks the South Carolina Supreme Court to declare the mandate void because he says it violates state law.

Mayor Benjamin’s statement is provided below.

“As we have stated, the City of Columbia and our ordinance requiring facemasks in schools are not in violation of any state law. In fact, we are in compliance with South Carolina Constitutional law, which makes it our legal and ethical obligation to protect the health, safety and well-being of our citizens. Our city is authorized and empowered, and has the duty to afford adequate protection for lives, safety, health and welfare by Article VIII, Section 17 of the South Carolina Constitution and the Home Rule Act of 1975,” said Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin. “Parents and teachers across our City, across Richland County, in fact across the state, have been vocal in asking us to make sure that children are safe in schools. As SC DHEC has just reported more than 3,200 new COVID cases in one day, we think it is counter to the best interests of community health to have any discussion other than what proven measures we can use to protect our children.”