Statewide Iowa — The president of the state teachers union says some Iowa school districts plan to require that students and staff wear face coverings if state law banning mask mandates is overturned.
That’s Iowa State Education Association president Mike Beranek. He says masks can help prevent the recent increase in COVID cases among Iowa students.
Late last week, a state judge declined to temporarily block Iowa’s ban on mask mandates in schools. A federal judge has yet to rule on a similar request to at least temporarily block the law. The U.S. Department of Education also is considering action against Iowa’s mask ban. Some school officials in Florida have implemented mask mandates, contrary to Florida policy, but Beranek says that’s unlikely here.
The Iowa Department of Public Health is updating COVID case numbers on Wednesdays. Last Wednesday’s data showed 29 percent of the Iowans who had tested positive for COVID in the previous week were under the age of 18.
