Waterloo Times

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds confirmed plans to appeal federal Judge Robert Pratt’s temporary order to enforce mask mandate ban suspensions. The move stemmed from a lawsuit brought upon by the Arc of Iowa alongside 11 families of disabled children in the state.

“#KimReynoldsIA will appeal the court decision to allow mask mandates in Iowa schools,” Twitter user Jackie R said in a tweet Sept. 14. “She believes that it’s the parents' right to allow COVID-19 to infect and maybe kill their children.” 

With a total of 6,300 COVID-related deaths and 450,000 COVID-19 cases in Iowa, the temporary restraining order will remain effective until the court orders a preliminary injunction, Reuters reported.

"We will appeal and exercise every legal option we have to uphold state law and defend the rights and liberties afforded to any American citizen protected by our constitution," Reynolds said in a tweet Sept. 13.

Reynolds argued that the ruling takes away the freedom of choice from parents in the state, KCRG reported.

Iowa is part a small group of states that passed laws forbidding mask mandates, according to Reuters.

Pratt is a judge at the federal court for the Southern District of Iowa. His reasoning is that the law is likely to conflict with the Americans with Disabilities Act, KCRG reported.

“The Court recognizes issuing a (temporary restraining order) is an extreme remedy, however, if the drastic increase in the number of pediatric COVID-19 cases since the start of the school year in Iowa is any indication of what is to come, such an extreme remedy is necessary to ensure that the children involved in this case are not irreparably harmed,” Pratt wrote in the ruling.