TULSA, Okla. — The U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation Monday into Oklahoma's laws surrounding mask requirements in schools.
Oklahoma is currently one of five states with laws in place banning schools from enacting mask mandates now under investigation.
The DOE sent a letter to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister on Monday introducing the investigation into Oklahoma's law.
The letter from Suzanne B. Goldberg, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, details the investigation into whether Oklahoma is "preventing school districts in the state from considering or meeting the needs of students with disabilities" by prohibiting universal face mask requirements.
Iowa, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah are the other four states which received similar letters.
The department said it hasn't opened investigations in other states where mask bans have been overturned by courts or are not being enforced, including in Florida, Texas, Arkansas and Arizona.
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