Florida Department of Education to withhold salaries for Broward, Alachua county boards; schools plan to keep mask mandates

Florida’s Department of Education announced it would sanction school boards in two counties with school mask mandates.

Florida's Department of Education announced on Monday that it would withhold school board members' salaries in Alachua and Broward counties because of their school mask mandates. Both counties' school districts said on Tuesday they still plan on requiring masks because of the COVID-19 pandemic and are exploring legal action. The department's announcement came after a circuit court judge in Florida ruled on Friday that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' recent executive order banning school mask mandates overstepped his authority. The Florida Department of Education did not mention the ruling in its announcement. "We're going to fight to protect parent's (sic) rights to make health care decisions for their children. 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," Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said in the department's announcement.