Another ruling on school mask mandates

Good morning.

Since fall of last year, the state of Iowa has been embroiled in a court battle over a state law meant to prohibit local school districts from mandating masks.

A new development came in that case Monday. Iowa school districts will no longer be able to issue sweeping mask mandates, following a 2-1 federal appeals court panel's ruling.

The ruling will lift an earlier court order that has been blocking Iowa's statewide ban. But that earlier court order is now moot due to lower coronavirus transmission and wider vaccine availability, Monday's ruling said.

However, the panel emphasized that Iowa's law doesn't apply in situations where a school would need to require masks to comply with another federal or state law.

That means that schools can still require masks in certain circumstances as an accommodation for students with disabilities in order to comply with federal law, said the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, which represents the families in the suit.

Gov. Kim Reynolds had originally signed the law last May, trying to ban local mask mandates in schools and cities. But a judge temporarily blocked the law in September, after a group of parents of students with disabilities sued.

Reynolds appealed the decision, and Monday's ruling reversed the earlier decision to block the law.

The decision won't necessarily affect many districts in the short-term. The Iowa State Education Association said Monday it isn't aware of any districts with a district-wide mask mandate.

We've got more information on the case, its background and what people are saying about it below in today's newsletter.

This is statehouse reporter Ian Richardson, and you can reach me with thoughts, questions and tips at irichardson@registermedia.com.

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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Another ruling on school mask mandates