Biden administration opens civil rights investigation into states barring school mask mandates

The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has opened an investigation into states barring school mask mandates to determine whether those rules discriminate against students with disabilities who are at higher risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19. 

The Education Department sent letters to the top school officers in Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, claiming that prohibitions against mask requirements prevent schools from making a safe environment for students with underlying medical conditions related to a disability. The investigation was announced on what marked the first day of school for many children in the U.S., as the culture war over mask mandates only gets more heated.  The Office for Civil Rights said they have not opened investigations in Florida, Texas, Arizona or Arkansas because those bans aren't being enforced, either due to court orders or some other reason.