Parents of kids with disabilities sue Iowa over ban on mask mandates

Eleven parents of children who live with disabilities in Iowa are suing the state over the ban on mask mandates.

Why it matters: Concerned school parents are piling some of the heaviest pressure against political leaders in red states that are defying the CDC's recommendation on mask requirements, per Axios Des Moines' Linh Ta.

Details: The Arc of Iowa, a disability rights group based in Iowa, is joining the lawsuit along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

• The lawsuit names Governor Kim Reynolds (R) along with school districts, including Des Moines, Iowa City, and Waterloo.
• The lawsuit includes children who are too young to be vaccinated and those with disabilities that make them more susceptible to severe COVID-19 cases.

What they're saying: “Prohibiting schools from taking reasonable steps to protect the health of their students forces parents to make an impossible choice: their child's education or their child's health,” said Susan Mizner, director of the ACLU's Disability Rights Program.

• In a press conference last week, Reynolds defended the ban and said that the risk of "serious illness among children is minimal” and said that the low rate of hospitalization amongst children was encouraging.
• Children make up a nearly a quarter of the new cases in Iowa, per the Des Moines Register.