A Minnesota surgeon was fired after he told a local school board only parents should make decisions on whether or not their kids wear masks

• A Minnesota surgeon told a school board parents should decide whether or not their kids wear masks.
• "It's still their responsibility. It's not yours," Dr. Jeffrey Horak said, opposing a mask mandate.

A Minnesota surgeon was fired after he spoke at a school board meeting and said parents should be the ones to decide whether or not their kids wear masks, KOMO News reported.

At an October 11 meeting in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, Dr. Jeffrey Horak spoke out against the district's mask mandate.

"Who does God put in charge of these kids? Their parents," Horak said at the meeting, KOMO News reported. "God gave each one of these kids to their parents and they speak for them. They may be wrong, they may be dumb, they may be perfect in their decisions. But it's still their responsibility. It's not yours, God gave it to them, honor their wishes - either side of the fence."

In a statement on his Facebook page, Horak said nine days after he made those comments his employer, Lake Region Healthcare, told him his views were "no longer congruent" with theirs and asked him to either resign or be fired.

"I wasn't given a reason nor was I aware of any issues or complaints about me," Horak said in his statement.

He added: "We live in America where freedoms are held close. I am a man who believes individuals have the right to do their research and decide what is best for them and their children when it comes to their health. I don't believe governments or institutions should dictate that. It's a position I've always have taken. And when the science doesn't make sense it's hard for me to go along."

In a statement to Insider, Lake Region Healthcare said they did not make the decision to terminate Dr. Horak.

"Lake Region Healthcare is not Dr. Horak's employer. Dr. Horak is part of Lake Region Medical Group, the partnership of providers that Lake Region Healthcare contracts with," a spokesperson for Lake Region Healthcare told Insider.

Dr. Greg Smith, President, of Lake Region Medical Group Board told Insider in a statement that the board, made up of nine of Horak's partners, decided to discontinue his contract after "a thorough review process," but said the reasons for his separation were a "confidential matter."

"To be clear, this was a decision that was made by Dr. Horak's peers who serve on the Medical Group Board, not by Lake Region Healthcare, the community-based hospital where Dr. Horak practiced General Surgery," the statement said.

Horak did not respond to Insider's request for comment at the time of publication.