Cedar Rapids school district to abide by new mask law

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - The Cedar Rapids Community School District said it will abide by the new law that prohibits schools from mandating masks for students, staff and visitors.

Superintendent Noreen Bush sent a letter notifying families of the district’s position after Gov. Reynolds signed House File 847 into law early Thursday morning. This means schools in the district will not require masks.

It comes after the district announced on Tuesday it had planned to maintain its mask mandate for schools through the end of the school year.

In the letter sent early Thursday morning, Bush apologized for the timing of the communication, saying the timing of the bill signing, which goes into effect immediately, did not allow time to plan.

“We are unclear if this provision applies to school buses as the national law requires masks on all public transportation vehicles—planes and buses,” Bush wrote. “We will follow up with communication as soon as we receive additional guidance regarding school transportation.”

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