WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNN) – The U.S. Department of Education is investigating whether banning masks in schools is a potential civil rights violation.
The civil rights enforcement arm of the department is looking at statewide policies in Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.
The Education Department claims their policies banning school mask mandates are discriminatory against students with disabilities and keeps them from safely returning to in-person learning.
The agency is also monitoring the mask mandate bans in Florida, Texas, Arkansas and Arizona.
Those states prohibit universal indoor mask mandates but those policies are not being enforced due to court orders or other state actions.
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