A new report in Health Affairs investigated the relationship between mask mandates, political affiliation, and teacher unionization in Iowa. Iowa’s governor did not require face coverings, though she did allow local school boards to make this decision. After examining data from January to October 2020. Researchers found that the association between the teachers’ unionization rate and mask mandates was strongest in districts in which a high percentage of union members were Democrats; when a high percentage of union members were Republicans, the teachers’ unionization rate was not associated with mask mandates.
Rural Reporter