Miami-Dade County, Florida’s largest school district, voted 7-1 in favor of a mask mandate Wednesday, in defiance of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order on masks in schools and the threat of severe state penalties.
The mask mandate does not allow for parents to opt out, except with an excuse from a health care provider. The vote came as students in Broward County returned to the classroom, and after the State Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend that Alachua and Broward counties be investigated for requiring mask-wearing in schools. “For the consequences associated with doing the right thing, whatever that right thing is, I will wear proudly as a badge of honor,” Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said at the State Board of Education meeting before the vote. Carvalho has said the district followed the recommendations of medical experts who called for a mask requirement. DeSantis spokesperson Christina Pushaw told CNN, “No politician is above the law. The legislature passed the parents’ bill of rights and Gov. DeSantis signed it into law. Forced masking of all schoolchildren is not consistent with protecting parents’ rights to make health and education decisions for their own children.” Protesters outside the meeting could be heard chanting “we will not comply” following the vote. Miami-Dade County Public Schools return on Monday. The district has about 334,000 students. Hillsborough County School Board votes to approve mask mandate Hillsborough County Public Schools also approved a mask mandate Wednesday in a 5-2 vote. The mandate allows for parents to opt out only in medical situations. During the nearly five-hour-long emergency meeting, over 300 more cases of Covid-19 were reported in the school district, according to its Covid-19 dashboard. More than 530 teachers and 1475 students have tested positive for Covid-19.
