Iowa judge considers whether to halt state mask ban law

By DAVID PITT
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa district court judge is considering whether to halt enforcement of a state law that prohibits school boards from imposing mask requirements. Attorneys argued Thursday over whether the Republican legislature and governor violated the constitutional rights of Frances Parr and her two sons when they signed the ban on mask mandates in schools into law. Parr’s lawyer says she and her sons are harmed by not being able to send them to school safely since masks aren’t required and that the COVID-19 delta variant is spreading rapidly. A state lawyer says the legislature has the authority to make such a decision and Parr doesn’t have standing to challenge it in court.