Duval County School Board to hold emergency meeting on COVID-19 mitigation measures

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County School Board volition clasp an exigency gathering Monday connected COVID-19 mitigation measures, according to a meeting announcement posted connected the district’s website.

The gathering is acceptable for 2 p.m.

School committee argumentation defines an exigency gathering arsenic 1 called “without astatine slightest 48-hour announcement to the nationalist for a peculiar contented erstwhile the Chairperson oregon Board members find that an issues is an exigency oregon urgent nationalist necessity.”

Monday’s gathering volition beryllium held aft committee subordinate Darryl Willie asked for an exigency committee meeting, with the nonsubjective being to sermon nary longer letting students opt retired of wearing look masks.

In a missive sent to Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene and committee seat Elizabeth Andersen, Willie said it is clip to sermon information measures successful the aftermath of expanding COVID-19 cases.

“To date, we person a 4th of the cases (in 2 weeks) that we had the full 2020-21 schoolhouse year,” Willie wrote successful the letter.

He continued successful the letter: “Our students and employees are becoming sick with a life-threatening virus, and an exigency gathering is needed to sermon this information and change oregon alteration immoderate argumentation that could assistance mitigate these cases.”

The schoolhouse territory has powerfully recommended its students deterioration look coverings, but parents and guardians were fixed the enactment of opting their children retired of the recommendation.

Elsewhere successful Florida, the Leon County superintendent announced Sunday that masks volition beryllium required for students successful prekindergarten done eighth grade, becoming the seventh territory to defy Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ prohibition connected specified COVID-19 mandates, The Associated Press reported. The different districts that person imposed strict disguise mandates are successful Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Alachua and Sarasota counties.

At the commencement of the year, 4,700 students opted retired of the policy.

Governor DeSantis continues to propulsion for schools to not mandate masks, and let parents to choose.

“If the national authorities tin travel successful and overrule rights of the parents and unit masking of kindergartners, fixed however COVID is simply a tiny hazard with past flu’s, volition they beryllium capable to bash that each azygous schoolhouse year?,” said DeSantis.

The Duval County Schools COVID-19 dashboard reports 503 pupil cases and 86 unit cases.

The bulk of pupil cases are successful simple schools and person been since the commencement of the schoolhouse year.

Local doctors said we’ve seen much cases of children being hospitalized successful Jacksonville from COVID-19 than astatine immoderate clip successful the pandemic.

“A power survey that says forced masking of kindergarteners does thing against COVID oregon immoderate respiratory virus. We bash cognize though determination are harmful effects of kids not being capable to breathe, spot facial expressions,” said DeSantis. “Clearly this is thing for the parents to do. For the national authorities to travel in and overrule parents’ rights and unit masks connected kindergartners, archetypal graders, 2nd graders -- that’s a monolithic overreach.”

We asked News4Jax viewers what they wanted to spot travel from Monday’s meeting.

One remark said, “please ballot yes to masks.”

Some viewers said fto parents’ parent. Not the board.

Another said to support your kid location if you don’t privation them wearing masks. Threats to nationalist wellness should beryllium treated arsenic such.

Another said to err connected the broadside of caution and destruct the opt-out option.

We’re told Monday’s 2 p.m. gathering volition sermon the information measures successful the aftermath of expanding COVID-19 cases.

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