AP/Lang
8/19/21
President Joe Biden has ordered his Education secretary to explore possible legal action against Iowa and other states that have blocked school mask mandates and other public health measures meant to protect students.
Biden’s order takes aim at Republican governors in Iowa, Florida, Texas and other states that have barred schools from mandating masks in the classroom. Biden directed the Education Department to “assess all available tools” against those policies. In response, the Education Department raised the possibility of using its civil rights arm to push back. The agency says state policies could amount to discrimination if they lead to unsafe conditions that prevent students from attending school.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a response Thursday afternoon, saying, “We have a crisis at the border, a disaster in Afghanistan, and inflation is soaring. President Biden is failing on each of these issues, yet he is now launching an attack against governors like myself (sic) for trusting our people to decide what’s best for them. The President’s priorities are misplaced. I have had enough, and I know Iowans have too. “