Lawsuit to be Filed Against Araik Harutyunyan Regarding Mask Mandate in Schools

Lawyer Vladimir Gabrielyan is preparing to file a lawsuit in the RA Administrative Court against the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Araik Harutyunyan, seeking appropriate responses to queries regarding the requirement for students to wear masks in schools. Gabrielyan informed NEWS.am about this matter.

On August 24, Gabrielyan had sent a legal inquiry to the minister concerning the mandate for children to wear masks in public educational institutions. The lawyer specifically questioned the legality of the decision regarding the mask mandate for children aged 7 to 11 years, the legal basis for this decision, whether any medical conclusions were involved (for example, how many hours a child can wear a mask continuously), and if so, from which medical institution.

Gabrielyan also asked what consequences might arise from failing to comply with the mask mandate (what kind of accountability measures could be imposed), who would be held responsible for a minor's non-compliance, how the child's educational process would be organized if they did not comply with the mask requirement, and whether wearing a mask could potentially lead to more serious health issues for the child.

Simultaneously, he demanded that the responses be substantiated with relevant documents.

In response, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasian indicated that the basis for requiring children to wear masks in public educational institutions is the decision of the Chief Medical Officer regarding mandatory mask-wearing in public enclosed and open areas.

According to the ministry official, the identification of potential risks and health regulations during in-person educational processes were implemented by the Ministry of Health, the responsible authority. Furthermore, the administration of educational institutions and the teaching staff are expected to carry out psychological and explanatory work concerning both the wearing of masks and adherence to other anti-epidemic rules.

In conversation with NEWS.am, Vladimir Gabrielyan noted that he did not receive a clear and comprehensive answer to his legal inquiry, and that the provided responses do not relate to his questions. Under these circumstances, the lawyer is preparing to file a lawsuit with the Administrative Court, asking the court to compel Araik Harutyunyan to provide clear answers and justifications to his inquiries.

“I have doubts that any study or medical conclusion underlies the decision regarding the requirement for children to wear masks in public educational institutions. Many questions remain unaddressed. Emphasizing children's right to education, I wanted to clarify what the consequences would be if a child refuses to wear a mask, what would happen to that child, whether they might be expelled from school, whether they would be allowed to attend classes, how education would be organized remotely, and what might occur. The answers to these questions are unknown,” said the lawyer, further adding that classes are set to begin tomorrow, yet these concerns remain unpredictable for parents and teachers.