‘Save the lives of children’: Iowa City parents ask district to defy law by requiring masks

IOWA CITY — Parents expressed worries for the safety of their children, family and community members Tuesday as students in Iowa City schools finished their second day of classes without a face mask requirement.

During a school board meeting, Jonna Higgins-Freese presented a petition signed by over 1,000 community members, medical providers and parents asking the Iowa City Community School District to require masks in schools to help protect against the spread of COVID-19.

Higgins-Freese said a simulation of a semester of school without a mask requirement or COVID-19 testing in a district the size of Iowa City resulted in a projection of over 7,000 students infected and over 200 hospitalized.

“I know it’s against the law to require masks,” she said.

Higgins-Freese said she has two children who have been “critically ill” with respiratory failure. Although her children have not had COVID-19, she said she has seen what it’s like for a child to be intubated and struggle to breathe.

Jen Knights, parent to students at Iowa City High School and Iowa City Southeast Junior High, said parents are terrified for their children.

Both of Knights’ children are vaccinated, but masks work most effectively to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when everyone wears them, she said.

“We’re so tired and burned out from the last year and a half of trying to protect our children,” Knights said. “This isn’t a question of if a lot of people are going to get sick. It’s going to happen, and it’s going to be babies and little children. If there’s ever a time to defy the law, it’s to save the lives of children.”

Nora Boerner, who has three students in the district, said she observed the first two days of school administrators not wearing masks. Although the district cannot legally require staff or students to wear a mask, Boerner said staff members should recognize their responsibility to keep students safe.

“I know your hands are tied legally, but how are we supposed to expect our children to wear a mask in school out of the goodness of their hearts when our administrators who they love and respect are not masking?” Boerner asked. “I’m scared for my son who is unvaccinated.”

Superintendent Matt Degner said while a lot of students and staff are excited to be back in school, he knows there are “mixed emotions” and trepidation. Degner said he was encouraged by the number of students and staff he saw wearing a mask the first two days of school.

“I’m not going to say it’s super positive because we would like to continue to encourage and promote mask use and vaccines for those who are eligible,” Degner said. No COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for children under 12.

If the district illegally put a mask mandate in place, it could be at risk of losing its accreditation, which could mean a loss of state and federal funding. Graduates from the district might not be admitted to colleges because they graduated from an unaccredited district. It could also put administrators at risk of losing their licenses.

“We’re trying to overturn every rock and look at every possibility to keep our kids safe,” Degner said.

Protect students, wear a mask

The Cedar Rapids school board urged community members to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing and washing their hands frequently.

In May, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a state law banning schools from enacting mask mandates. Last week, she told a WHO radio audience that parents had approached her at the Iowa State Fair with “tears in their eyes” to thank her for not making schoolchildren wear masks.

But Cedar Rapids school board president Nancy Humbles, in a statement at Monday’s board meeting, encouraged those who disagree with the law to contact the governor’s office, saying Reynolds could rescind the ban.

Contact tracing, testing and vaccines

Iowa City schools are working with Johnson County Public Health to conduct contact tracing of students and staff who have come in contact with a COVID-19 positive person. A close contact will receive a letter with quarantine recommendations. The district is going to monitor this strategy to see if it is effective, Deputy Superintendent Chase Ramey said.

The district also is exploring its options to provide COVID-19 testing to symptomatic students and staff. The district now is using Test Iowa kits, which need to be administered by parents. Ramey said it would be more effective if school nurses were allowed to test students themselves after receiving parental permission.

Ramey said the district also is preparing for when COVID-19 vaccines are available to 5-11 year olds. “We want to make sure we provide those students the opportunity to get vaccinated once it’s available,” he said.

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