Gov. Ron DeSantis was dealt another setback in his push to ban mask requirements in Florida schools.
TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Ron DeSantis was dealt another setback Thursday in his push to ban mask requirements in Florida schools when a judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by parents challenging the order. Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper rejected arguments by an attorney for the governor that the parents from a half-dozen counties lacked legal standing to stop the state action. The case now is scheduled to go to trial Monday. “These parents and children have a right to have their case heard in court,” Cooper said. He cautioned, though, that his ruling “does not indicate I’ve decided anything” about whether DeSantis over-reached with his no-mandatory-mask order, which is the central argument from the parents. The lawsuit by parents from Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Alachua counties argues that DeSantis “wrongfully assumes that state authorities can better determine the local health risks and educational needs of students and teachers.” Counties rebel against governor: Florida school districts rebel against governor’s mask order, presenting political test DeSantis talked tough: DeSantis blocks mask mandates in schools Counties struggle: COVID in schools: Cases surge during first week in Sarasota-Manatee In the hearing before Cooper, Michael Abel, an attorney for DeSantis, argued unsuccessfully that the parents were not authorized to challenge the governor’s order.
