Iowa Parents Suing School District Over Mask Mandate

Some Iowa parents are not happy about the mask mandates put into place at their children's schools. So much so that they're willing to sue.

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According to KCCI, parents in Harlan, Iowa are suing Harlan Community Schools due to concerns over the mask guidelines put in place by the school board. Jim and Sharon Bieker have decided to "file a lawsuit and injunction against the district" as they don't like how the school is handling the mask situation. The Bieker's son Jameson said he got stopped in the hallway before class and was put in the auditorium all day for not wearing a mask.

KCCI reports that the district separates students that don't wear masks from the ones that do. They place students who don't wear a mask in other areas such as the auditorium or library. Harlan Schools Interim Superintendent Lynn Johnson told KCCI that this is not to punish those who decide not to wear a mask, but it's a way to "continue to keep educating those students but separate them from the classrooms where masks are required." Johnson also assures that the school is following recommendations from health experts, since not all students are vaccinated.

Other parents of Harlan Community Schools told KCCI that they also heard students were "being denied meals if they didn't wear masks." Johnson confirmed that there was a situation where a food service staff member told a student they had to wear a mask to get breakfast, but that that is "not how we're going to do business." Johnson assures that situation has been handled and won't happen again.

A solution is proving to be challenging for school officials since there's no real middle ground. It's either masks or no masks. What do you think about masks in schools? Share your thoughts in the comments.