The Kansas Attorney General is calling on the Biden administration to immediately rescind its mask mandate for the federal Head Start program. AG Derek Schmidt says the mandate subjects children to inconsistent discipline at a time when similar mask policies are being discontinued in schools.

The mandate has not taken effect in Kansas because it is blocked by a federal court injunction in a case Schmidt filed. 22 state attorneys general have sent a letter to the president and officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which administers the Head Start program. The attorneys general cited opposition from the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund to requiring children under age 5 years to wear a mask because of the potential impact on learning and development.