Lee County School Board to Florida DOE: Mask mandates will remain in Lee County Schools

The Lee County School Board has told the Florida Department of Education that the county’s school mask mandates will remain in place.

The board members wrote to Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran: “The SDLC shares the concerns of our governmental leaders and recognizes that we want the best for our students while respecting the rights of all of our parents. The decision made by the SDLC strikes that balance. The face-covering guidelines are necessary, reasonable, and narrowly tailored to address the health crisis in our local community. The guidelines are essential to keeping schools open and operational under exigent circumstances.”

A Leon County judge Wednesday blocked Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ban on mandatory masks at schools from remaining in effect while he appeals an earlier ruling that struck down his order.

Circuit Judge John Cooper approved a request by lawyers for parents suing DeSantis over masks, endorsing their position that keeping the ban in place would create a potential health risk in schools.

Throwing out the automatic stay of his earlier order is unusual, Cooper conceded. But he added, “We’re not in normal times. We’re in a pandemic.”

DeSantis had ordered that counties allow parents to have their children simply opt-out of mask requirements. But Cooper ruled that school boards are empowered to mandate that all students wear face-coverings unless they obtain a medical exception.