SIOUX CITY, Iowa (Iowa Media Wire) — On Tuesday, a federal court dismissed a legal challenge to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ policy that banned schools from instituting mask requirements.
The legal challenge was brought by families of students with disabilities during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ruling marks the conclusion of the years-long court battle that started in the fall of 2021.
The lawsuit alleged that the governor violated federal disability law as it pertained to students with disabilities by banning schools from enacting a mask mandate. The mandate had been partially blocked for schools with disabled students for most of the 2021-2022 school year.
Reynolds released a statement on the ruling.
“While children were the least vulnerable, they paid the highest price for COVID-19 lockdowns and mandates, but Iowa was a different story,” she said. “Iowa was the first state to get students back in the classroom, and we prohibited mask mandates in schools, trusting parents to decide what was best for their children.”
Meanwhile, the ACLU of Iowa’s Legal Director Rita Bettis Austen released a statement as well.
“Masking was critical to protecting the ability of children with underlying conditions and disabilities to attend school in person,” her statement read in part. “Even in dismissing the case, the court confirmed that Iowa law ‘does not prohibit a school from complying with disability laws.'”