The Arc of Iowa v. Reynolds
State: Iowa
Filed: 2021
Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa
Plaintiffs: The Arc of Iowa and parents of students with disabilities
Defendant: Governor Kim Reynolds, Iowa Department of Education, individual school districts
Counsel: The Arc, ACLU, ACLU of Iowa, Disability Rights Iowa, Arnold & Porter Law Firm, Tom Duff Law Firm
Overview: In the final days of the 2021 legislative session, the Iowa General Assembly passed HF 847, which prohibits school districts in Iowa from requiring everyone to wear masks in their schools. As the school year begins and COVID cases soar, school districts face a dilemma: whether to comply with HF 847 or whether to meet their obligations under federal disability rights laws by protecting the health, safety, and dignity of their students with disabilities and providing equal access to their education. Parents of children with disabilities that put them at risk of severe illness should they contract COVID also face a dilemma: whether to send their children to school at risk to their health and even lives or whether to keep them at home at the expense of their education and development. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act provide broad protections for individuals with disabilities. Both federal disability rights laws prohibit outright exclusion, denial of equal access, or unnecessary segregation of students with disabilities in public education.
Case Documents
Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction
Order Granting Temporary Restraining Order
Reply in Support of Motion for Preliminary Injunction
American Academy of Pediatrics Amicus Brief
Order Granting Extension of Temporary Restraining Order
Order Granting Motion for Preliminary Injunction
Eighth Circuit American Academy of Pediatrics Amicus Brief
Eighth Circuit Per Curiam Opinion
Order on Motions to Dismiss and Summary Judgment
Press Releases
Lawsuit Challenges Iowa Law Banning Schools from Requiring Masks
Federal Court Blocks Iowa’s Law Banning Masking Requirements in Schools
Mask Mandate Preliminary Injunction Continues to Protect Iowa Children
Related Media
Associated Press: Parents of disabled kids sue over Iowa ban on mask mandates
Des Moines Register: Parents of students with disabilities sue over Iowa’s COVID mask mandate ban in schools
KCRG: Parents of students with disabilities, ACLU sue Iowa over mask mandate ban law
We Are Iowa: ‘Not an equal education’: Parents of kids with disabilities sue over Iowa ban on mask mandates
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Lawsuit: Iowa’s school mask mandate ban violates disability rights
Business Insider: Iowa ban on mask mandates at schools overturned by federal judge
WQAD8: Davenport Education Association praises federal judge’s order to allow Iowa schools to mandate masks
Des Moines Register: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds asks judge to reinstate mask mandate ban, citing concerns from parents
The Gazette: Documents: COVID outbreaks at nearly quarter of Iowa schools
Des Moines Register: Iowa school districts may continue mask mandates after judge grants preliminary injunction
NBC News: Federal judge blocks Iowa’s ban on school mask mandates
ABC Action News: Families of children with disabilities challenge mask mandate bans
Des Moines Register: Federal court will decide the fate of mask mandates in Iowa schools
KETV Omaha: Federal judges hear Iowa’s appeal over injunction of law that bans school mask mandates
Courthouse News Service: Iowa asks appeals court to uphold ban on mask mandates in schools
Iowa Public Radio: State attorneys ask appeals court to restore Iowa’s ban on school mask mandates
Des Moines Register: Iowa will not enforce school mask mandate ban for now, Attorney General’s Office says
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Appeals court rules that some Iowa schools can impose mask mandates
Our Quad Cities: ACLU, others celebrate federal ruling on Iowa mask mandate in schools
Education Week: Relaxed Mask Guidelines Raise Anxiety for Parents of Children With Disabilities
Des Moines Register: Iowa must permit school districts to require masks in some cases, court rules; Iowa to appeal
Associated Press: Federal court dismisses case against Iowa governor’s ban on school mask mandates
