A federal appeals court has officially ended the lawsuit brought by a group of Iowa parents against a state law passed in 2021 that banned individual schools from issuing mask mandates.
The families argued that schools must be allowed to require masking to protect their children who have disabilities that make them vulnerable to respiratory illnesses.
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled the families do not have legal standing to sue the state.
Governor Kim Reynolds in a statement said prohibiting school mask mandates was the right thing to do, because she trusted parents to decide what was best for their children.
Additionally, the Sioux City School Board is moving forward with plans to install air conditioning in the gyms of Sioux City’s three public high schools.
The high schools of West, East, and North opened in the early 1970s, and people have complained about how hot the gyms can get in certain parts of the year.
The combined cost is $4.4 million.
Sioux City School District Operations and Maintenance Director Tim Paul said the district has two sources to pay for the air conditioning additions.
Local option sales tax money will be one source, along with federal pandemic relief funds, which must be spent by June 30.
A public hearing will be held during the next school board meeting on March 11 for people to weigh in on the project.
In other news, all four Republican members of the U.S.House have filed nomination papers to officially run for re-election in the 2024 election ahead.
Northwest Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra, of Hull, filed his papers Wednesday for the Iowa 4th District seat.
Feenstra is in his fourth year representing Northwest Iowa.
His 2022 Democratic opponent, Ryan Melton, months ago announced plans to run again in 2024.
The other Republican House members in Iowa who previously filed for re-election include Zach Nunn, Ashley Hinson, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks.
Additionally, looking to replicate a successful program in South Dakota, now Nebraska officials are aiming to increase the number of rural ambulance crews being equipped with telemedicine technology.
Tim Wilson, the state’s director of the Office of Emergency Health Systems for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, in a release said rural areas need access to high-quality emergency medical services, since they are often located 30 or more miles from a regional hospital.
Wilson said that “installing telemedicine technology provides EMTs and paramedics with immediate, real-time, 24/7 access to board-certified emergency physicians, and emergency paramedics and nurses.”
Ambulances in 20 rural Nebraska towns and counties are being equipped with telemedicine technology, and more will be added via a $1.3 million dollar grant initiative funded by the Centers for Disease Control Health Disparities.
The Siouxland entities who will participate in new telemedicine pieces are Crofton Rescue and West Point Rescue. Telemedicine In Motion is the name of the South Dakota program.
