Florida School District to Mandate Children to Wear Masks for Two Weeks

Less than a week after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed an executive order protecting parents’ rights in determining if their child should wear a mask in school, one Florida school district said Tuesday that it will require children to wear masks in school for the first two weeks.

On Tuesday, Alachua County Public Schools announced it will require children to mask up for the first two weeks of school.

“In light of dramatic increases in local COVID cases and hospitalizations, including among children, the School Board has voted to require masks for students for the first two weeks of school. The Board will reevaluate at its August 17 meeting,” the district announced:

In light of dramatic increases in local COVID cases and hospitalizations, including among children, the School Board has voted to require masks for students for the first two weeks of school. The Board will reevaluate at its August 17 meeting.

— Alachua Schools (@AlachuaSchools) August 4, 2021

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Duval County School Board approved an amendment that allows children to opt out of wearing a mask in school, suggesting that the default is, in fact, a mandatory mask.

“Any student not wearing a mask pursuant to this policy must, through his/her/their parent or guardian, complete the opt-out procedures provided by his/her/their assigned school,” it reads.

Last week, DeSantis announced his move to sign an order barring school districts from overriding parental decisions regarding masks.

“Very soon I’ll be signing an executive order which directs the Florida Department of Education and Department of Health to issue emergency rules protecting the rights of parents to make this decision about wearing masks for their children,” he announced during a press conference in Cape Coral.

“We think that that’s the most fair way to do it,” he added.

The order specifically states that the Florida Commissioner of Education “shall pursue all legal means available to ensure school districts adhere to Florida law, including but not limited to withholding state funds from noncompliant school boards violating any rules or agency action taken pursuant to Section 1 above.”

DeSantis said at the press conference:

I have young kids. My wife and I are not gonna do the masks with the kids. We never have. I want to see my kids smiling. I want them having fun. Look, my kids are a little younger, but I can tell you, whatever you think of masks, you gotta wear it properly. My kids ain’t gonna wear that thing properly. We know that.

I wouldn’t want to do that, but at the same time, look, if a parent really feels that this is something that’s important for their kid, we’re not stopping that. They absolutely have every right to equip their student with whatever types of masks that they want and have them go school if they believe that that’s a protection that’s important for their children. I think that’s the fairest way to do it: to let the parents have the decision. It would not be fair if we told parents who want the kids to wear masks they weren’t allowed to do it. But it’s certainly not fair to force parents who don’t believe the masks are good for their kids to force them to have to send their kids in masks.

The executive order followed the promise that his administration would not impose compulsory masks on children.

“We want kids to be able to be kids,” DeSantis said. “We need them to be able to breathe. It’s terribly uncomfortable for them to do it. There’s not very much science behind it.”