Florida county school board votes to require indoor masks, rejecting DeSantis’ position
Not every Floridian is onboard with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ rejection of mask mandates. One Florida county school board is planning to require masks to be worn in schools, directly contradicting DeSantis’ position on mandating the face huggers for children.
Although widely unpopular in the United States, support for mask mandates has been largely led by teachers’ unions who have, across various states, demanded hazard pay and a pause on in-person teaching.
At a meeting on Wednesday, the Broward County school board voted to require masks when schools reopen next month. According to the Hill, the school board “voted to require indoor masking inside schools, social distancing protocol inside classrooms and seating capacity limits on school buses.”
“I am not looking for us to get ourselves in trouble over this mask issue,” said school board member Donna Korn at the meeting. “There are too many other things that the state has highlighted this district for.”
The teachers faced opposition from parents who spoke out against the mask mandate, with many arguing that masks made it difficult for their children to learn and concentrate, socialize and even breathe.
“I really wanted to start this school year as normal as possible,” said board member Lori Alhadeff, “and a few weeks ago, I thought that we were in a position to go back to school without wearing masks and giving parents a choice. But now with COVID soaring, and the Delta variant, a lot has changed.”
Despite opposition to DeSantis’ plan from public school teachers, DeSantis has no plans to relent or give in to their demands.
In an email to local outlet WLRN, DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw said that the governor’s position on mask mandates “has not changed.”
“At the end of the day, the Governor trusts parents to weigh the risks and benefits and make the best choices for their own kids,” said Pushaw.
Earlier this week, DeSantis rebuked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for recommending masks for K-12 students, stating that their position was not “based in science.”
As reported by Rebel News, DeSantis has long opposed mandating masks for children who attend in-person learning. At a Monday event, he stated that “our view” is that “this should absolutely not be imposed.”
“I think our fear is that seeing some of those rumblings, that there be an attempt from the federal level or even some of these organizations to try to push for mandatory masking of school children. And so our view is that this should absolutely not be imposed,” DeSantis said, per transcripts provided to Rebel News. “It should not be mandated.”
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