Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton

Those attending Warren County School District indoor events will have to wear masks, effective immediately.

According to a Thursday afternoon district release, “all students attending an event will either be masked or have an exemption based on Section 504 or their IEP” and “all other spectators attending an event must be masked.”

That announcement follows a day after a mask requirement in schools was put back into effect on Wednesday.

“Spectators refusing to wear an approved face covering will be denied admission to the event,” according to the release. “No event will start until all spectators comply with masking requirements. If an event has started and a spectator fails to comply with masking requirements, the event will be paused until masking takes place or that person or persons have left the facility.”

“If, after pausing, spectators continue to disregard mask requirements, the event may be discontinued,” according to the release.

On Monday, a group of local parents, representing children in the district, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in Erie. The lawsuit asked for injunctive relief against a Sept. 13 decision by the school board to allow parents to circumvent the state-mandated mask requirements by filing an exemption form without any need for supporting medical documentation.

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Paradise Baxter granted a temporary restraining order Tuesday afternoon.

The “temporary restraining order will serve the public interest as well as the health, safety, and welfare of the school students in the school district,” she said.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health does not require student athletes to wear masks while they are actively participating.