Debate over masks in St. Johns County schools gets heated at latest board meeting

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ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The statement implicit look masks successful the St. Johns County School territory is inactive being fought aft a Pedro Menendez High School pupil died past week.

The committee talked astir the district’s effect to the pandemic truthful acold this year, and the arguments implicit whether students should beryllium wearing look coverings heated up again.

Several speakers raised their voices astatine the committee members implicit the thought of mandating masks successful schools.

During a committee store Tuesday morning, Superintendent Tim Forson noted the skyrocketing cases successful the territory -- and acknowledged that if the concern worsens, that classrooms oregon schools would person to temporarily modulation to virtual learning.

Ultimately, the territory said it’s pursuing the Florida Department of Health’s determination histrion connected however and erstwhile to quarantine students.

Debate implicit masks successful St. Johns County schools gets heated astatine latest committee meeting

During the nationalist remark conception of the meeting, respective speakers mentioned the decease of 17-year-old Menendez High School pupil Giona Stiles -- referring to it arsenic a COVID-19 related death. The teen’s origin of decease has not been confirmed yet, but Dr. Mobeen Rathore, a pediatrician with UF Health and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, said Tuesday that a 17-year-old successful St. Johns County had died from COVID-19 complications.

Pediatrician Dr. Jeffrey Goldhagen again powerfully recommended during nationalist remark that the schoolhouse committee follow a disguise mandate -- portion respective parents implored the committee to bash the same.

One genitor accused the committee members of having a “lack of urgency” and asked them to instrumentality enactment to support the students.

There was besides a radical of parents who powerfully opposed a disguise mandate successful the district, 1 adjacent threatening to propulsion their children from the territory if 1 is imposed.

Many of them cited debunked accusation -- oregon adjacent conspiracy theories -- but astir pointed to the Parents Bill of Rights and the state’s exigency regularisation aimed astatine banning disguise mandates.

The CDC and the immense bulk of aesculapian experts corroborate masks bash assistance dilatory the dispersed of diseases similar COVID-19.

Right now, the territory doesn’t person plans to enforce a disguise mandate.