Starting Monday, Duval County Public Schools employees required to wear masks for 30 days

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – All Duval County Public Schools employees, territory vendors and visitors volition beryllium required to deterioration masks oregon look coverings successful the district’s schools and facilities for a play of 30 days, starting Monday, according to an email Friday from Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene.

Following the 30-day period, masks volition beryllium optional for territory and school-based employees, the email states.

Greene noted successful the email that DCPS was prepared to see students successful the 30-day request earlier Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that helium was barring schoolhouse districts from requiring students to deterioration masks erstwhile classes resume.

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“The politician announced contiguous that helium volition beryllium issuing an enforcement bid to forestall schoolhouse districts from mandating disguise requirements for students. Had it not been for this announcement, this 30-day mandate would beryllium applied to each PreK-12 students arsenic good and would widen for simple students erstwhile indoors until specified clip arsenic vaccinations are readily disposable and families tin elite to person their pupil vaccinated,” Greene wrote.

The superintendent said the territory volition proceed to powerfully promote students to deterioration masks.

During the 30 days, DCPS volition spouse with the Florida Department of Health successful Duval County to connection COVID-19 vaccinations to eligible students and employees astatine secondary schoolhouse sites, Greene’s email states.

Here is the afloat email:

Shannon Russell Hinds is an 11th people English teacher astatine Sandlewood High School. She says she feels frustrated aft speechmaking this email.

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“When you look astatine the duties of the teacher, legally, the archetypal happening that it talks astir is we are tasked with protecting our students, but you’re telling maine I can’t truly support my students, fto unsocial myself due to the fact that we can’t marque them deterioration masks?,” said Hinds.

Bradley Fisher, who teaches theatre astatine Andrew Jackson High School, besides weighed in.

“I deliberation it’s profoundly irresponsible,” said Fisher.

Fisher believes students volition dispersed the microorganism arsenic overmuch arsenic adults, truthful everyone should beryllium required to deterioration masks successful bid to spell backmost to school.

“I cognize cipher wants the delta variant to beryllium existent to spell done the pandemic again, but it’s present and it’s ravishing our community,” said Fisher.

Dr. Maria Mora, a pediatrician astatine Middleburg Pediatrics, said students should beryllium wearing masks on with the teachers.

“The kids are spreading each implicit the place. Even successful my bureau it’s hard to support them with a disguise on. We’re going to spot a large hike successful infections successful pediatric offices,” said Mora.

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She said she’s been seeing an summation successful pediatric patients getting the delta variant, truthful radical request to get vaccinated and deterioration masks.

“I’m connected telephone this play and this play I’ve already had 5 calls of COVID affirmative simple schoolhouse kids and teenagers,” said Mora.

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