Economics Professor Chooses Not To Wear a Face Mask In Classroom Claiming It Violates His Conscience

Photo Courtesy of The King’s College Faculty Directory

Dr. Paul Mueller, associate professor of Economics at King’s, taught his in-person classes this past Monday without wearing a mask because he “felt convicted that doing so would violate [his] conscience.” 

Prior to Mueller’s 1:30 p.m. class, President Tim Gibson had released updated COVID-19 campus policies. His email, which arrived to students and faculty by 11:31 a.m., announced that masks would continue to be required at all times while on campus with the only two exceptions being while eating, and while being in private staff or faculty offices. 

Mueller didn’t address his decision to teach without a mask prior to or during his classes, but on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., he sent a lengthy email to his Monday students explaining his reasoning. 

According to Mueller’s email, he said he had been under the impression that the school would reevaluate its COVID-19 policies, including the mask requirement for teachers, after two weeks of in-person teaching. He claims to have reached out to King’s administration sometime last week for an update on these policies but at that point a decision had not yet been made. 

“I had misgivings in August about requiring faculty/lecturers to wear face masks in the classroom, but was willing to go along with it for the two week period,” Mueller wrote. “Since that time, I have become increasingly convicted that I should not participate in activities/practices that I think are false and/or harmful to those around me and to society generally. And I think that wearing face masks in certain settings does just that.” 

Without knowing the college’s decision regarding updated COVID-19 policies, Mueller said he made the decision to teach without a mask anyways. Upon seeing President Gibson’s email announcing said policies before his class began, Mueller proceeded to teach without wearing a mask. 

“At that point it was far too late to tell everyone we would be meeting synchronously via Zoom and I felt I could not in good conscience wear a mask while lecturing - so I lectured in the afternoon sections without one,” Mueller wrote. 

In his email, Mueller describes the classroom; students distanced, wearing masks and interacting with a professor who keeps “fairly close tabs” on his health and “[Tries] to avoid high risk settings,” and says, “The odds of me having it, and the odds of me then giving it to any of you in the setting I just described, seem negligible. Is it possible I am wrong? Yes, but I doubt it, otherwise I wouldn't have the opinion I do.”

At least one student in Mueller’s Monday afternoon classes has a confirmed auto-immune disease. Regarding such students who are at higher risk for contracting COVID-19, Mueller writes that this “Is why we created the online accommodation in the first place!”

King’s, which had been using a hybrid model since going all remote last spring, has had no students, faculty or staff contract the virus since the semester began a month ago. 

Later in the week, President Gibson sent a follow up email regarding COVID-19 campus policies titled “To Protect Each Other, Continued Diligence is Warranted.” In the email, he addressed his reasoning for maintaining strict campus policies. 

“First, there will be a time when we will be able to prudently relax the constraints our community has collectively agreed to. Second, we aren’t at that point yet,” said President Gibson. 

King’s Provost, Mark Hijleh, sent an email Thursday to all students of Professor Mueller announcing that for the next two weeks, professor Mueller’s in-person classes will be held remotely until a resolution emerges. 

The Empire State Tribune will continue to follow this story. Until then, Mueller’s full email to his class can be viewed below.