The story headline is from
Salon.com with coverage also from several other national and FL outlets:
CNN, the Miami Herald, and the South Florida Sun Sentinel:
“Irresponsible: Florida districts worried DeSantis
will defund schools over anti-mask order”
Florida education officials blasted Gov. Ron DeSantis' “irresponsible executive order banning schools from requiring masks,” which flies in the face of the CDC recent guidance for all school children to wear masks in classrooms.
DeSantis has repeatedly defied federal public health guidelines as
he positions himself for a likely 2024 presidential run, and he announced his E.O. on
Friday (July 30) – (see
my earlier post below), and just as Florida set a record high in new COVID infections, and accounting
for one of every five new cases in the U.S.
Background: The
CDC last month recommended that all children over 2 years old should
wear masks in schools. DeSantis dismissed that guidance as “unscientific and
inconsistent” saying he didn't believe masks were necessary to prevent
children, most of whom are not yet eligible to be vaccinated, from spreading
the virus.
FYI: Florida
reported more than 21,000 infections among people under 19 just
last week. Though children have a very low risk of severe illness compared to
adults, more than 19,000 children have been hospitalized in just
24 states.
DeSantis told reporters making his E.O. announcement: “Why would we have the government force masks on our kids when many of these kids are already immune through prior infection. They're at virtually zero risk of significant illness and when virtually every school personnel had access to vaccines for months and months?”
However, public health experts have universally rejected
DeSantis' argument, for example: Dr. Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at Johns
Hopkins, said the order was appalling as
the state leads the nation in infections, arguing that masks are necessary
to protect unvaccinated children.
DeSantis’ order came after Broward & Gadsden counties
announced that they would comply with the CDC recommendation, in defiance of
the governor's order, as his office statement argued: “Many Florida
schoolchildren have suffered under forced masking policies, and it is prudent
to protect the ability of parents to make decisions regarding the wearing of
masks by their children. The order is intended to protect parents' freedom to
choose whether their children wear masks.”
The order also threatens to cut school funding from districts
that do not comply with his ban – that now gives Education Commissioner Richard
Corcoran the ability to “pursue all legal means available to ensure school
districts adhere to Florida law, including ... withholding state funds from
noncompliant school boards.”
Backlash: Alberto
Carvalho, the Miami-Dade Schools superintendent (the largest school district in
Florida) told CNN): That he was “…worried the governor's order will force
schools to strike a difficult balance between protecting their funding and
public health” then telling the Miami Herald: “I believe that generalized pronouncements
via executive order or state statute that basically don't differentiate between
conditions which may vary significantly from South Florida to Central Florida
to the Panhandle, that don't take into account how differently those conditions
may be and the impacts that they may have, may not necessarily be in the best
interest of our communities.”
The Dade County teachers union accused DeSantis of fighting “a
culture war that endangers the lives of Floridians.”
However, the school districts say their hands are tied after
the executive order.
Broward County School Board member Debbi Hixon told
the South Florida Sun Sentinel: “If he makes an emergency rule
and we are not legally allowed to mandate masks, then we will have to change
our policy. I am not looking to defy the governor. I believe it is an
irresponsible decision but if it is the law, I will agree to follow it.”
The
full story is at the Salon link – a very interesting development.
My 2 Cents: As I stated earlier and again now, DeSantis is way out of line and more so, out of touch with his crazy E.O. policy and threats not just to the health of school children, which is a fact, but with his iron-fisted threat to cut off school funding, which is taxpayers' money. I wonder how they feel.
So, I wonder, will he refund their school tax dollars since the schools can’t use the funds?
Interesting question isn’t
it? But, don’t hold your breath waiting for him to do that, or to even consider that.
Will update this story as
this moves along.
Thanks for stopping by.
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