Education Department to probe 5 states with ‘unacceptable’ school mask bans

Federal education authorities launched five investigations into statewide school mask bans on Monday, ratcheting up the Biden administration's feud with Republican governors as Covid-19 infections disrupt the fall back-to-school season in some communities.

The Department of Education’s civil rights office will review indoor masking prohibitions in Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, and examine whether bans in those states violate the rights of students with disabilities.

“It’s simply unacceptable that state leaders are putting politics over the health and education of the students they took an oath to serve,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement....