Florida to decide whether to punish school districts that mandated masks

The Florida Board of Education suggested Tuesday it could remove local school officials who broke state rules and required masks for students amid COVID-19 pandemic.

The Florida Board of Education suggested Tuesday it could remove local school officials who broke state rules and required masks for students, the latest in a weekslong battle between Gov. Ron DeSantis and school leaders who say they are desperate to keep students safe as pediatric cases of COVID-19 rise in Florida. In an emergency meeting, the board approved the recommendations of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to crack down on the school districts in Alachua and Broward counties, home to Gainesville and Fort Lauderdale, which violated a Florida Department of Health rule that requires districts to let parents opt out of mask mandates for their kids. The rule, enacted just days before the start of school across the state, was a response to DeSantis’ executive order aimed at protecting the rights of parents to make choices about their children’s health. The Alachua and Broward districts mandated masks for students anyway, letting parents opt out only if they provided a medical reason.