A bill recently passed by the Iowa Legislature prohibits schools from requiring mask usage. State Senator Amy Sinclair, the chair of the Senate Education Committee, says that this decision was made based on guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health.

“When the Iowa Department of Public Health came out and said that COVID should be treated as any other childhood illness, it seemed illogical that we still had some of our largest districts requiring students to wear masks, even in the face of the scientific evidence; and the fact that the vaccines are working, and any adult that wishes to be vaccinated here in Iowa can be at this point. To force them to wear masks just seemed illogical, and frankly, to some degree, cruel, particularly for small children who are learning to read, who are doing those social interactions that small kids do.”

This bill was signed into law just before the session ended, and as school years come to a close. Hear more about this legislation and more issues on today’s Let’s Talk Knoxville.