A group of parents are battling the Gwinnett County Public Schools district over its COVID-19 pandemic-related mask mandate, claiming children have suffered physically and mentally because of it.

In a lawsuit filed Aug. 26 in Gwinnett County Superior Court, Justin and Meghann Verrier, Margaret “Meg” Rudnick, and Holly Terei are challenging the mandate, which was announced a week before the 2021-22 academic year and a day after the CDC issued new, more conservative guidance regarding the use of face coverings following a rise in coronavirus cases nationwide due to the delta variant.