Des Moines Register: The U.S. Department of Education will investigate whether Iowa’s ban on mask mandates in schools discriminates against students with disabilities by putting them at greater risk of COVID-19, the federal agency announced today. The department’s Office of Civil Rights will investigate the matter. According to a news release, it will only serve as a “neutral fact finder.” It does not state possible outcomes of the investigation. However, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona had stern words for state leaders who put such bans into place. The department sent similar letters to Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.