COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Boone County judge has denied Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s efforts to expand his lawsuit against mask mandates in public schools. Schmitt sued the Columbia Public Schools after it required students and staff to wear masks while indoors. He had sought to expand the action to every school district in the state that has a mask requirement. He also asked for a preliminary injunction against the mask requirements. Circuit Judge J. Hasbrouck Jacobs denied those motions but he also rejected the Columbia district’s request to dismiss the lawsuit. Schmitt’s office said after the ruling that he plans to continue litigation against mask requirements.