Des Moines Register reporter acquitted in case seen as attack on press rights
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Jurors have acquitted an Iowa journalist who was pepper-sprayed and arrested by police while covering a protest in a case that critics have derided as an attack on press freedom and an abuse of prosecutorial discretion.
A jury found Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri not guilty on misdemeanor charges of failure to disperse and interference with official acts.
It also acquitted her former boyfriend, Spenser Robnett, of the same charges, which carried the threat of fines and even jail time. The verdict came after a three-day trial in Des Moines.
The debate between in-person instruction and virtual instruction in Iowa schools during the pandemic has been contentious as Gov. Kim Reynolds pushes for legislation requiring schools to offer a 100-percent in-person learning option for families.
Hundreds of unmasked people entered the Iowa Statehouse rotunda Monday, the opening day of the new legislative session, to protest mask requirements put in place to protect against COVID-19.
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Democrats, however, are concerned such a bill would take away the decision-making of local school boards and, as a result, cause increased risk for students and teachers in areas with high community spread.
“(In-person instruction) is what we all want, but not at the cost of endangering children,” Prichard said. “Not in the cost of endangering people s health.”
Meanwhile, lawmakers also said they want to look into ways to address the drop Iowa school districts are seeing in overall enrollment, another result of the virus. School districts’ current enrollment this academic year will affect the amount of per-pupil funding they receive next budget year.