A judge ruled that Florida schools can mandate masks. Which districts already are?
Florida school districts that have a mandatory mask policy are ending the week with a win after a Leon County judge on Friday overturned Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order banning school mask mandates.
The state can still appeal the decision, but for now, this means school districts can mandate masks if they want to.
So far, 10 of Florida’s 67 school districts require students and staff to wear face coverings, citing concerns over the state’s surge of new cases hospitalizations, fueled by the more contagious delta variant. There is also no COVID-19 vaccine for kids younger than 12.
Most, if not all, of the school districts mandating masks have an opt-out option for medical reasons, with plans to review the mask policy periodically.
In South Florida, the public school districts of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties are requiring masks inside school buildings and on buses. The Monroe School District’s mask mandate didn’t defy the governor’s order because it lets parents opt their kids out of wearing a mask for any reason.
Here’s a list of all the Florida school districts requiring masks. This may change in the coming days:
▪ Miami-Dade County Public Schools
▪ Broward County Public Schools
▪ The School District of Palm Beach County
▪ Hillsborough County Public Schools
▪ Alachua County Public Schools
▪ Leon County Schools (Only for K-8)
▪ Indian River County (Only for pre-K through 8th grade)
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 3:35 PM.
