Florida’s Board of Education has approved an emergency rule to allow private school vouchers to parents who say their school district’s mask-wearing mandates amount to child harassment. Florida leads the nation in COVID-19 related hospitalizations.
The move to take private tuition costs from public school funding created yet another flashpoint in the fight between local school boards and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over coronavirus safety measures in schools. DeSantis has long supported efforts to expand school privatization and says parents should be able to decide how to provide for their children’s health and education.
“We’re not going to hurt kids. We’re not going to pull money that’s going to hurt kids in any way,” said board member Ben Gibson.But he said the rule the board approved has the effect of law, and that if school districts don’t comply, the board could hold up the transfer of state money. So far, two Florida school districts have decided to follow recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and require masks when they restart classes next week, citing Florida’s dramatic rise in coronavirus infections.
The state added 22,783 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, according to the CDC. It’s the highest single-day count since the pandemic began and raises Florida’s seven-day average of new cases to an all-time high of 18,933. “In terms of imposing any restrictions, that’s not happening in Florida. It’s harmful. It’s destructive. It does not work,” he said, noting that Los Angeles County had a winter surge despite all its restrictions. “We really believe that individuals know how to best assess their risks. We trust them to be able to make those decisions. We just want to make sure everybody has information.”
The Duval board is allowing parents to submit paperwork if they want their children not to wear masks. The Alachua board said it had voted to require masks for the first two weeks of school, a decision that will be reevaluated in two weeks. Students in both districts go back to school Tuesday.
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