Schools in Iowa can again mandate masks after a federal judge on Monday issued a temporary restraining order to block the state from enforcing a law banning school mask mandates. Gov. Kim Reynolds is set to appeal the decision. U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt in an opinion (pdf) wrote that Iowa’s law “substantially increases” disabled or immunocompromised children’s risk of contracting COVID-19. His ruling is effective immediately, until the court orders a preliminary injunction. Reynolds had signed the measure into law in May, barring K-12 schools and local governments from mandating masks. In early September, parents of children with disabilities and health conditions filed a lawsuit against Reynolds, Iowa Department of Education Director Ann Lebo and several school districts, over the measure. The suit was backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as other disability rights organizations. The parents argued that Iowa’s ban on universal mask mandates indoors “violates the civil rights …
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