State Board of Education votes to investigate Alachua school district, superintendent for mask mandate

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The authorities Board of Education connected Tuesday voted successful favour of a proposal to “use its enforcement powers” against Alachua County Public Schools aft the territory defied a statewide bid to let students to opt retired of wearing a look disguise without a doctor’s note.

With a unanimous vote, the committee authorized the Florida Department of Education to analyse the Alachua County School Board and Alachua County Superintendent Carlee Simon arsenic good arsenic instrumentality “all ineligible steps to enforce rules” of the committee and rules of the Florida Department of Health.

According to committee president Tom Grady, penalties for immoderate violations whitethorn see withholding funds from the territory and the removal of officers.

“Although I would adhd a footnote that I bash not privation to withhold funds successful a mode that would harm immoderate kid successful immoderate district,” Grady added.

State Board of Education votes to analyse Alachua schoolhouse district, superintendent for disguise mandate

The ballot comes aft the Alachua County School Board put successful spot a two-week disguise mandate for students connected Aug. 10 with the accidental for students to opt retired with a doctor’s note.

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“All our families should person the expectations that their parental rights are being protected. We request to support each rights not conscionable the parents wanting optional masks,” Simon said during the Tuesday exigency meeting.

Grady was captious of Simon and Alachua County and said the board’s occupation is to uphold authorities law.

“Unfortunately, we person districts who are picking and choosing what laws they privation to follow,” Grady said.

The committee followed the proposal of Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran who sent a missive up of the Tuesday gathering recommending sanctions for the schoolhouse districts successful Alachua and Broward counties for going against an exigency order.

According to Corcoran, due to the fact that the territory requires parents to supply documentation from a aesculapian doctor, osteopathic physician, oregon a licensed caregiver practitioner successful bid to opt retired of the district’s disguise mandate, the territory is not successful compliance with the Florida Department of Health’s exigency rule, which was issued aft Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive bid putting a prohibition connected disguise mandates.

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“Every schoolhouse committee subordinate and each schoolhouse superintendent person a work to comply with the law, whether they hold with it oregon not,” Corcoran wrote. “While the territory whitethorn not hold with the information protocols acceptable distant by the Surgeon General successful the exigency rule, the Surgeon General is the idiosyncratic who, nether the law, sets protocols to power COVID-19 successful schools. As a result, I urge that the State Board of Education usage its enforcement powers to enforce the wellness protocols recovered the Emergency Rule 64DER21-12 and support the close of parents to marque wellness and acquisition decisions for their children.”

But Alachua County schools person the enactment of the Biden Administration and the U.S. Department of Education.

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona wrote a missive Friday to 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.

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“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.

Also, Tuesday evening, the Alachua County School Board was acceptable to conscionable astatine 6 p.m. and volition determine whether to widen its disguise mandate, The Gainesville Sun reported.

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The Sun reported that the schoolhouse strategy has 535 students and 60 unit members successful quarantine, and a fewer weeks ago, 2 custodians died, 1 of whom was a Gainesville High School employee.

Grady said an probe whitethorn impact nationalist records requests to spot however wealth is being spent wrong the territory including whether they’re being spent for nationalist relations oregon governmental purposes.

“And I would besides adhd a study to the legislature with recommendations for the legislature to enactment and to instrumentality immoderate further steps whitethorn beryllium indispensable to the grade this committee lacks the enforcement mechanisms to afloat instrumentality the Constitution and the statutes, and the rules of the Department of Health and the Department of Education and different authorities agencies,” helium said.

The State Board of Education volition conscionable again successful Miami connected Wednesday.

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