Des Moines Sun

A federal judge passed a temporary order Sept. 13 to allows schools in Iowa to mandate masks.

We Are Iowa News reported that federal Judge Robert Pratt ordered that the state of Iowa immediately stop enforcing a state law that prohibited school boards from mandating masks in schools.

This order comes after some parents sued the state with the help of a group that defends the civil rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to The Courier.

"Because Plaintiffs have shown that Iowa Code section 280.31’s ban on mask mandates in schools substantially increases their risk of contracting the virus that causes COVID-19 and that due to their various medical conditions they are at an increased risk of severe illness or death, Plaintiffs have demonstrated that an irreparable harm exists," Pratt wrote, according to The Courier.

Pratt said that his order is based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics which recommend wearing masks in schools to protect against the spread of COVID-19.

"A federal judge issues a ruling based on evidence. Conservatives call that 'dirty pool', even 'unAmerican,'" Twitter user Pitt Griffin wrote in a Sept. 13 tweet.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said that the state will challenge the legality of the judge's decision to “uphold state law and defend the rights and liberties afforded to any American citizen protected by our constitution,” The Courier reported.