Florida Department of Education demands Alachua, Broward schools drop mask mandates

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Education connected Friday formally demanded that the Alachua and Broward County schoolhouse districts “comply with authorities statute and rule” by dropping their disguise requirements.

The bid issued gives the 2 districts to papers compliances wrong 48 hours oregon the authorities would initially withhold an magnitude adjacent to 1 month’s wage of the schoolhouse committee members, with the anticipation of “additional enforcement action” successful the future.

“School committee members of districts person willingly and knowingly violated the rights of parents by denying them the enactment to marque wellness attraction decisions for their children — a blatant usurpation of the Parents’ Bill of Rights,” the Department of Education said successful a quality release.

The section said it had provided each territory respective opportunities to “correct their behaviour successful an effort to find an amicable solution to nary avail.”

“We cannot person authorities officials prime and take what laws they privation to follow,” Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said. “These are the archetypal consequences to their intentional refusal to travel authorities instrumentality and authorities regularisation to purposefully and willingly interruption the rights of parents. This is simply unacceptable behavior.”

This bid comes 4 days aft the authorities Board of Education unanimously voted to “use its enforcement powers” against the 2 districts aft they defied a statewide bid that students could opt retired of wearing a look disguise without a doctor’s note. Unlike Duval County, which lone requires a genitor oregon guardian’s note, some Alachua and Broward necessitate a doctor’s enactment to opt out.

News4Jax has asked Alachua County for its effect to the state’s latest order, but Jackie Johnson, the schools’ manager of communications, told WCJB-TV successful Gainesville that the territory volition not comply with the order.

“Alachua County Public Schools volition respond to the bid from the Florida Department of Education. The territory has nary plans to alteration its existent masking requirement,” Johnson wrote successful an email.

Earlier this week, Alachua further defied the authorities by extending its two-week disguise mandate different 8 weeks. School boards successful Miami-Dade and Hillsborough counties voted this week to statesman requiring their students to deterioration masks.

READ FDOE ORDERS: Alachua County | Broward County

The defiant schoolhouse boards person the enactment of the Biden Administration and the U.S. Department of Education.

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona wrote a missive past Friday to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Corcoran expressing enactment for schoolhouse districts that are making decisions connected masks that align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation that each students and teachers, vaccinated oregon unvaccinated, deterioration masks indoors.

“Florida’s caller actions to artifact schoolhouse districts from voluntarily adopting science-based strategies for preventing the dispersed of COVID-19 that are aligned with the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) puts students and unit astatine risk,” helium wrote. “I americium penning connected behalf of the U.S. Department of Education (Department) to stress the value of allowing schoolhouse territory leaders to marque decisions that guarantee information for their students.”

Cardona said school districts could usage national alleviation money to offset immoderate penalties oregon withheld backing imposed by the state.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden told reporters helium had instructed Cardona to instrumentality further steps to support children successful schools.

“This includes utilizing each of his oversight authorities and ineligible action, if appropriate, against governors who are trying to artifact and intimidate section schoolhouse officials and educators,” Biden said.

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