FL Looks Into Sarasota, Hillsborough School Mask Policies: Report

FLORIDA — Even though a judge sided with a group of parents who sued Gov. Ron DeSantis over his executive order banning mask mandates in Florida schools, the state’s school mask fight is far from over.

Though Judge John Cooper ruled the governor’s executive order unconstitutional Friday, clearing the way for school districts to mandate masks for students and staff, DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education aren’t giving up. Cooper’s ruling limits the state’s ability to enforce some rules related to district mask mandates, saying this enforcement violates the Parents’ Bill of Rights, which went into effect in July.

Despite the loss in court, DeSantis said he plans to appeal the decision. The FDOE is also targeting school districts that previously violated the executive order by instituting mask mandates without parent opt outs.

At the start of the 2021-22 school year, with COVID-19 cases surging throughout the state, school districts in Alachua, Broward, Duval, Indian River, Leon, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Orange, Palm Beach and Sarasota counties issued mask requirements despite the governor’s mask mandate ban. After Friday’s ruling, the school districts in Brevard and Lee counties also put their own mandates in place.

Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran announced Monday that the FDOE, as directed by the School Board of Education, would withhold school board member salaries in Alachua and Broward counties. He said the state department of education would continue to withhold funds each month until each school board complies with state law and allowing parents and legal guardians to opt out from the mask policies.

“We’re going to fight to protect parent’s rights to make health care decisions for their children,” Corcoran said in a news release. “They know what is best for their children. What’s unacceptable is the politicians who have raised their right hands and pledged, under oath, to uphold the Constitution but are not doing so. Simply said, elected officials cannot pick and choose what laws they want to follow.”

Now, the commissioner has set his sights on Sarasota County Schools and Hillsborough County Schools. He’s threatening to withhold funding in the amount of the salaries of the district’s school board members, WTSP reported.

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Both school districts have until 5 p.m. Wednesday to comply with the Florida Department of Health Rule 64DER21-12, which allows parents to decide whether their children wear masks at school, ABC Action News reported.

“Recent reports in the media indicate that the Sarasota School Board has taken action inconsistent with the emergency rule by limiting or conditioning the parental ability to opt-out of a face covering or mask mandate,” Corcoran said in a letter to the school districts Friday.

A spokesperson for Sarasota County Schools said the district received the letter Friday and its legal counsel is working on a response.