Hillsborough Circuit Court Judge Martha J. Cook on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed in August by a group of school parents represented by attorney and civil libertarian Patrick Leduc.

In her ruling, Cook wrote that the school system was well within its rights, as it was acting in the public’s best interest.

“In the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic, like other school boards, municipalities, and governing bodies in Florida and this country, Defendants were responsible for instituting a plan to safely and effectively reopen public schools,” she wrote. “The reopening plan does not infringe upon any constitutionally-protected, fundamental right, does not target a suspect class, and applies to students and staff equally.”

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