DeSantis and school districts clash over masks as COVID-19 cases skyrocket in Florida.
Hospitalizations have grown from 12,000, a month ago, to more than 61,000 now, as states like Mississippi say the contagious variant is sweeping over them “like a tsunami."Leanetta McNealy, who chairs the school board in Alachua County, Florida, has seenrock her district. In the span of several days, two employees died from the virus, over a dozen tested positive for it and more than 80 others were asked to quarantine, according to a statement from the district released Wednesday.
Such a vote wouldn't normally draw attention -- since districts nationwide are requiring students to cover their faces, based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- but it came just days after Gov. Ron DeSantis, long an opponent of stringent coronavirus measures, issued an executive order aimed at leaving mask decisions up to parents, handcuffing districts.
On Thursday, the Florida Hospital Association reported 12,500 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19, marking a new pandemic high.DeSantis' executive order appeared to spook some districts, at least temporarily. In Duval County, home to Jacksonville, the school board stopped short of mandating masks, voting instead on Tuesday to have parents opt out their child if they do not want them wearing one.
Legal experts, however, say districts that impose mask mandates are not in jeopardy of losing money, at least not yet.
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