Duval School Board passes student mask mandate with opt-out clause

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DCPS mounting up COVID-19 vaccination session successful each secondary schoolhouse for students, employees

A Duval County School Board gathering was held Tuesday evening.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County School Board connected Tuesday nighttime approved an amendment to its Student Code of Conduct, which requires students to deterioration masks with an enactment for them to opt-out.

The further connection was “Any pupil not wearing a disguise pursuant to this argumentation must, done his/her/their genitor oregon guardian, implicit the opt retired procedures provided by his/her/their assigned school.”

The determination comes contempt Gov. Ron DeSantis’ enforcement bid barring disguise mandates astatine schools successful Florida.

Earlier successful the day, Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene announced the school territory volition acceptable up a COVID-19 vaccination session successful each of its mediate and precocious schools to supply shots for students and staff. She said the extremity is to get arsenic galore eligible radical vaccinated arsenic imaginable by the extremity of the archetypal 4th of the year.

For Duval County teachers and staff, however, masks were already mandated done Sept. 3.

Before the gathering began, immoderate parents and teachers protested this decision, saying that everyone, including students, should beryllium required to deterioration masks. Leaders successful the section aesculapian assemblage besides called for the territory to enact a disguise mandate arsenic the contagious delta variant spreads and hospitalizations spike successful Florida.

“My different existent interest is our children tin go the Trojan horses of this microorganism fixed however infectious this variant is,” said Dr. Mohammed Reza, an infectious illness specialist. “Look astatine Baptist, look astatine Mayo, look astatine UF, they are astatine overcapacity astatine this constituent and there’s nary extremity successful sight.”

During the meeting, much than 40 parents and aesculapian experts code the Board, asking them to reinstate a disguise mandate.

“You don’t person the close to exposure my kid to a deadly disease,” said Beth Marlow, a parent.

“Our aesculapian leaders are begging you to listen,” said genitor Shana London. “They person been sounding the alarm for weeks.”

Melissa Bernhart said she was against the mandate, saying it’s a idiosyncratic choice.

“Let the radical that privation to deterioration a disguise deterioration them,” Bernhart said. “I’m not against idiosyncratic wearing a mask. I’m against idiosyncratic making the prime for my child.”

The superintendent said the territory volition beryllium taking these different COVID-19 precautions successful the fall:

Daily disinfecting of high-touch points and usage of anti-microbial spray.
Staffed, isolated rooms for students exhibiting COVID-related symptoms.
Temperature checks for simple students only.
Emphasizing handwashing/using manus sanitizer.
Hiring further nursing unit and schoolhouse wellness aides to enactment each school.
Implementing escaped telehealth services for each students (with parental consent) to springiness students entree to wellness care.
Continuing the usage of schoolroom and schoolhouse autobus seating charts to assistance the Department of Health with interaction tracing and to minimize quarantines.