Florida’s second-largest school district on Monday said it will no longer impose a mask mandate after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) released an executive order giving parents the power to decide whether their children should wear masks at school.
DeSantis on Friday issued an executive order barring local school districts from requiring students to wear masks when they return to the classroom next month.
The order also said that “if the State Board of Education determines that a district school board is unwilling or unable to comply with the law, the State Board shall have the authority to, among other things, withhold the transfer of state funds, discretionary grant funds … and declare the school district ineligible for competitive grants.”
The order was in response to “several Florida school boards considering or implementing mask mandates in their schools after the Biden Administration issued unscientific and inconsistent recommendations that school-aged children wear masks,” the governor’s office said.
In an excerpt by 7 News Miami and The Associated Press:
The district put out a statement on Monday, the online statement said:
Broward County Public Schools intends to comply with the Governor’s latest Executive Order.
Last week, the School Board of Broward County mandated the wearing of masks in our schools to protect our students, staff and community.
Safety remains our highest priority. The District will advocate for all eligible students and staff to receive vaccines and strongly encourage masks to be worn by everyone in schools. The District will also work to adhere to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, including frequent cleaning and disinfecting of our schools, physical distancing, hand washing, and staying home when sick. The District is continuing to collaborate with our local health organizations to monitor trends in the spread of COVID-19 and variants.
Sources: Dailywire, Browardschools, Wsvn, Washingtonpost