Judge Turns Down Private School Effort To Reopen

A federal judge denied an emergency motion sought by three Christian schools in Oregon, including Hood River’s Horizon Christian School, that want to reopen this fall, finding Governor Kate Brown’s executive order for K-12 schools during the coronavirus holds up constitutionally.  The Oregonian/OregonLive reports U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman ruled Thursday after hearing nearly two hours of testimony.  The judge found the Christian schools made it clear that they have been and will be “irreparably harmed,” but Mosman said he needs to examine the law in place and finds the state’s public health concerns due to the pandemic outweigh the schools’ interests.  Attorney John Kaempf, representing Horizon Christian School, McMinnville Christian Academy and Life Christian School in Aloha, had urged the judge to grant a temporary restraining order that would have halted the governor’s order and allowed the three schools to reopen with in-person classes this fall.  Governor’s Attorney Marc Abrams argued that health concerns are paramount and the temporary limitations on in-school learning are necessary to avoid the potential loss of life and a “potential super spreader site.”

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