Monroe County has a new ‘mask mandate’ in schools. Parents can opt their children out

Monroe County Schools will require teachers, staff and students to wear masks indoors and on buses this year — changing the original plan to make masks optional.

But students have a way out of the school district’s new so-called mask mandate: Parents may sign an opt-out disclaimer form so that their children don’t have to wear masks in schools.

The mask option for students was part of a Monroe County School Board decision made Tuesday, the same day the Broward County School Board voted to keep requiring that everyone wear masks inside schools and on buses this school year.

Broward’s 8-1 decision defies the order from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that requires face coverings to be optional and threatens to withhold the salaries of superintendents and School Board members who don’t comply.

In the Keys, school officials decided to follow the state directives.

The school district on Wednesday cited an emergency rule from the Florida Department of Health signed by Florida Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees on Friday. The rule states parents must be given an opt-out choice if a district requires facial coverings.

Students in Monroe start school Thursday.

In a 4-0 vote, the Monroe County School Board approved what an agenda item called a “universal mask mandate” that included an opt-out clause, proposed by Superintendent of Schools Theresa Axford. Board member Mindy Conn was absent.

“It’s a personal thing between parent and student and they’re going to have to be our partners,” Axford told the School Board.

“Parents know what’s best for their children,” said School Board Chair John Dick during Tuesday’s meeting in Marathon.

Teachers and staff cannot opt out of the mask policy.

The school district posted the opt-out form on its website Wednesday, through its parent portal, and said that the mask policy will be reviewed at the board’s Aug. 24 meeting.

School Board member Andy Griffiths pushed for the disclaimer to include information about masks being recommended indoors.

“When you sign this, you’re understanding that you’re ignoring that recommendation,” Griffiths said. “Faced with some facts, some people might make a different decision.”

The final form states the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation of “universal indoor masking” for everyone at schools whether they’re vaccinated or not.

Previously, the school district administration planned to make masks optional this fall, but add that they “highly recommended” everyone wear them.

The School District of Palm Beach County planned to make masks optional, before reversing course last week to make masks mandatory. But there’s an opt-out option for parents who don’t want their child to wear a mask.

Monroe County is also limiting visitors at schools. Visitors must first get permission from a school or the administration by calling ahead in advance.

Bob Eadie, administrator of the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County, said the department recommends everyone wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status.

But he didn’t disagree with the state directives that guided the Monroe County School Board’s decision.

“If I thought that this would truly compromise the health of the students, I would say that,” Eadie said Wednesday of the school board’s policy. “I think it will do as good a job as keeping kids safe as we can under the circumstances.”

In the last 10 days, Monroe has reported 575 new cases of COVID-19, Eadie said on Tuesday. Of those cases, 84 were people 18 and under.

Eadie said he recommends that everyone push for more vaccinations.

In Monroe County, 53,833 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, or 72.5% of the total population, according to the CDC. Only 44,510 people are fully vaccinated, or 60% of the county’s total population.

This story was originally published August 11, 2021 at 7:22 PM.

Gwen Filosa

Miami Herald

Gwen Filosa covers Key West and the Lower Florida Keys for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald and lives in Key West. She was part of the staff at the New Orleans Times-Picayune that in 2005 won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from Indiana University.