Parents concerned that Duval County charter schools are not bound by district’s mask mandate

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ prohibition connected required masking of students is being fought successful the courts, but successful the meantime, immoderate schoolhouse districts successful the authorities are inactive imposing a disguise mandate.

While Duval County Public Schools is requiring students and employees to deterioration masks, the county’s charter schools are not bound by the disguise mandate. The concern has galore charter schoolhouse parents acrophobic and calling for changes.

Charter schools are successful a precise unsocial position, successful that they get nationalist money, but are not bound by astir rules acceptable by the elected schoolhouse board. Charter schools person their ain schoolhouse committee to marque those decisions, and galore section charter schools are taking their cues from the Florida Department of Education, which demanded that mandates not beryllium imposed.

“It’s precise concerning that they conscionable person the enactment of not listening to the remainder of the county,” said Donald Price, whose kid attends River City Science Academy, which has six campuses successful Duval County.

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Parents acrophobic that Duval County charter schools are not bound by district’s disguise mandate

When News4Jax asked the school’s spokesperson if masks were required, the spokesperson said “we travel the State order” — meaning no.

“It’s disheartening and concerning, and it’s scary, to beryllium honest,” Price said. “I thought I was sending my kid to a progressive subject schoolhouse that was going to beryllium advancing him and forward-thinking and subject and worldly similar that, mathematics, wherever present I consciousness similar it’s much of a wealth and governmental happening than a teaching thing.”

There are much than a half-dozen Duval Charter School campuses crossed Jacksonville governed by Renaissance Charter School Inc. A spokesperson said the institution “strongly recommends masks for each students and requires each teachers, unit and visitors to deterioration masks portion wrong its schools successful Duval County.”

Parents who News4Jax spoke with said it’s not enough.

“It truly stinks that it’s travel down to this,” said Jill Lortz, the parent of a Duval Charter School student. “You hatred that we’re successful this situation. I privation it was better. I privation the numbers would travel down.”

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“I’m precocious hazard due to the fact that I person asthma. My parents are successful their 70s. My sister is immunocompromised,” said Lenna Sutton, the parent of a Duval Charter School student. “So it’s conscionable disappointing that they are not listening to CDC guidelines.”

Another happening that charter schools get to determine for themselves is what information to merchandise to families and however often. While immoderate parents said determination is simply a batch of connection from the main astir however galore cases are successful their school, others are acold little transparent.

“To me, that’s not acceptable. They weren’t sharing immoderate data, and erstwhile I did talk to the school, they said they lone person to study it to the CDC, they don’t person to, you know, study it to us. So truly haven’t gotten immoderate data,” said Yasmine Wilson, a parent of Duval Charter School students.

Charter schools are besides not listed connected the online DCPS COVID-19 dashboard. The territory said the accusation strategy that the charter schools usage is incompatible with the 1 the territory uses but said that charter schools are escaped to disclose accusation with their ain families.

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