Miami-Dade Public Schools, Florida’s Largest District, Drops Mask Mandate

Pre-K students listen while a book is read to them at Phyl's Academy, Wednesday, March 24,
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, Pool
Hannah Knudsen

Miami-Dade Public Schools, Florida’s largest school district, is dropping its controversial mask mandate, allowing parents to opt their children out of the rule.

On Wednesday, parents will be able to access the opt-out forms to exempt their children from forced masking in school, according to Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who made the announcement on Tuesday:

According to Miami-Dade County Public School’s website:

Parents of students in all schools, including K-8 centers and elementary schools, will now be able to choose whether their children wear facial coverings through a parental opt-out provision. Parents wishing to avail themselves of this provision will need to complete an opt-out form and return it to their child’s school. Forms can be downloaded at https://backtoschool.dadeschools.net/ or obtained at their child’s school. Additionally, fully vaccinated employees at all schools may choose not to wear facial coverings.

Notably, the website still emphasizes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “continues to recommend universal masking in schools, regardless of vaccination status.”

“M-DCPS will continue to follow science, consult with our medical experts, and review our protocols on a weekly basis to identify opportunities for further adjustments of COVID-19 protocols,” it adds.

WESH noted the announcement came “after a judge ruled last week that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis was within his authority to allow parents to opt out of strict mandates”:

Broward, Miami-Dade, Orange, Duval, Alachua and Leon counties had sued in opposition to a Sept. 22 update to the Department of Health’s emergency rules for COVID-19.

The six school districts that had sued the state over the rule had the case dismissed due to “an invalid exercise of delegated legislative authority,” according to Judge Brian Newman’s ruling.

However, the superintendent cited dropping case numbers, not the legal battle, as the primary reason for the opt-out decision.

Last month, DeSantis’s administration “docked funds for school board members and schools after two districts in the state defied the order that masking students is a parent’s decision and school officials should not put a mandate in place,” as Breitbart News reported.

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