In Geerlings v. Tredyffrin/ Easttown School District, (ED PA, Sept. 27, 2021), a Pennsylvania federal district court refused to issue a preliminary injunction sought by parents of four students who claim that the students are entitled to religious exemptions from a school district's COVID-19 mask requirement. The court held that none of the plaintiffs demonstrated a "sincere religious belief". In each case the court concluded either that the asserted beliefs were not sincerely held or were not religious in nature. The court described the asserted beliefs of each plaintiff:
Ms. Marvin believes people are made in the image of God and it therefore dishonors God to cover our faces....
Ms. Geerlings believes the body is a temple and must not be harmed, and in her view, masks violate the prohibition on harming the body because they are unhealthy....
Mr. Governanti came to believe that he must not harm his daughter, which, in his view, means he must not allow his daughter to wear a mask....
Mr. McLellan believes God intervened in his life to save him from certain trauma, and that masks are a mockery of the gift of life because they cover what makes us human and show a lack of gratitude to the creator.
