Staff and students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the Decorah school district will have to mask up starting next Monday after the school board voted for a universal mask mandate at a special meeting last night.
Superintendent Mark Lane says the mandate will be in effect until four weeks after a vaccine for five to eleven-year-olds is readily available locally. The board made the decision in light of the news that Fizer will seek F.D.A. approval to provide COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 5-11.
A federal judge recently halted enforcement of a state law which was passed in May which prohibited school districts from enacting mask mandates. Governor Reynolds has said the state will appeal that ruling. Decorah becomes the 11th school district in the state to enact some sort of mask mandate since the federal court ruling. Decorah and Linn-Mar have enacted PK through sixth grade mask mandates.
Ames, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Iowa City, Urbandale, West Burlington and West Des Moines all enacted PK-12th grade mask mandates.
(By Darin Svenson, KDEC, Decorah)