Some Florida school districts defy DeSantis, require masks
MIAMI (AP) — Despite a ban by Gov. Ron DeSantis, two Florida school districts have decided to require masks when children return to classrooms because of dramatic rises in coronavirus infections, with the state leading the country in hospitalizations.
School boards in Duval County, home to Jacksonville, and Alachua County, home to Gainesville, made the decision based on rising hospitalizations and new cases of the coronavirus. The surge has hit parts of northeast Florida particularly hard.
The Duval County School Board voted late Tuesday to require students to wear masks unless parents submit paperwork to opt out. The Alachua County board said it had voted to require masks for the first two weeks of school, adding that the decision will be reevaluated in two weeks. Students in both districts go back to school next Tuesday.
“We applaud the school boards of Alachua and Duval County for listening to and following the advice of the doctors in their community,” the Florida Education Association said in a statement. "We hope other school districts will also heed the advice of the trusted medical professionals.¨
In Arizona, at least three school districts are also defying the state on masks, despite a recently enacted law barring mask requirements. Other states such as Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah have also banned mask mandates in schools.
President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that governors who are against mask mandates should “get out of the way.” DeSantis sharply criticized Biden on Wednesday, repeating his stance that the decision on masks in schools should be left to parents.
“If you’re coming after parents’ rights in Florida, I’m standing in your way. You won’t get away with it,” he said. Instead, DeSantis said, the president should do more...
