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| Photo: Jack Kurtz/Zuma Press |
In a last-minute move at the end of the Iowa’s legislative session, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill banning mask mandates in public schools across the state.
“Iowa is putting parents back in control of their child’s education and taking greater steps to protect the rights of all Iowans to make their own health care decisions,” Ms. Reynolds, a Republican, said.
The state’s seven-day Covid-19 case average has dropped below April 2020 levels. According to the latest seven-day average from Wednesday, 202 people have tested positive in Iowa.
The state’s move follows a similar mask-mandate ban in Texas earlier this week. Lawmakers in Utah are also pushing to keep mandates on face coverings out of schools.
With the bill signed after midnight Thursday, just hours before the start of a school day, many schools scrambled to spread the message to staff and parents via news releases, email and through social media.
“A state law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds shortly after midnight supersedes CDC recommendations and Polk County Health Department guidance that schools continue to require masks until the end of the school year for the health and safety of unvaccinated students and staff,” Des Moines Public Schools said in a statement early Thursday morning. --->READ MORE HERE
The GOP-led legislature in Utah passed a bill Wednesday to prohibit government schools and universities from forcing people to wear a face covering in the fall.
The bill was co-sponsored in the House by Republican Rep. Val Peterson and would not bar counties from putting mask mandates in place after consultation with health officials in the case of a COVID-19 outbreak. “At some point this has to end,” Peterson said of masking in schools.
“What this bill is really about is making sure we have those assurances to our students that they can go forward next fall and get right into the school year without the thought of masks and what that might mean,” he added.
Sen. Evan Vickers, the other co-sponsor, told The Federalist that “H.B. 1007 Face Covering Requirements provides additional clarity to policy passed during the 2021 General Session.”
“It does not take away local control,” Vickers added. “School districts in conjunction with local health departments can issue mask mandates if a situation arises. We have made great strides in our fight against COVID-19. Our hospitalizations are down, cases are low, and vaccines are available for all individuals who want one, and this is an important step forward as we transition back to normalcy.” --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to related stories and resources:
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