Hearing set in case challenging Iowa schools mandate

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Sept. 3 hearing has been scheduled in a lawsuit seeking to block Gov. Kim Reynolds’ order that schools return to classroom instruction during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Iowa State Education Association and the Iowa City Community School District are requesting a temporary injunction to block enforcement of the governor’s mandate.

If granted, that would mean school districts would have their own authority to decide whether to move to 100% remote learning and not face retaliation from the state if they do.

Reynolds has said that school districts must provide at least 50% in-person instruction or face consequences. Only if the local positivity rate reaches 15% over a 14-day period can schools seek a waiver to move to remote learning for two weeks at a time – a threshold far higher than what experts say is safe. Plymouth, Henry and Des Moines are the only counties above that level as of Friday.

Reynolds said that the majority of school districts will begin in-person instruction by next week. Others, like Iowa City, have delayed their start dates until September.

The union and the district argue that the governor is misinterpreting state law, and that local school boards have broad powers to make their own decisions about when in-person learning will be safe.