Duval County School Board approves 90-day mask term with medical option

JACKSONVILLE, Florida – After hours of sometimes heated debate involving doctors, parents and local leaders, the Duval County School Board on Monday made the controversial and potentially costly decision to require face masks.

In an emergency meeting that lasted eight hours, the school board voted 5-2 to approve a 90-day mask mandate for all students unless they get a rating from a supplier of certified health care that indicates that the student has a medical, physical or psychological problem. condition that prevents them from wearing a face covering. Previously, the school district policy was a strong recommendation, but asked parents to remove their children if they did not want their child to carry one.

The “no” votes were board members Lori Hershey and Charlotte Joyce.

“I want to leave it up to their parents to make a choice,” Joyce said.

The term of the student mask will begin on September 7. The superintendent has the option to suspend the requirement before the end of the 90 days.

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Under the emergency rule approved by the school board, students who are not excluded must wear face coverings inside school buildings. Students do not have to wear masks if they are actively involved in sport.

The vote took place on the same day that more than 200 COVID-19 cases were added to the district’s online tracking dashboard. As of 8 p.m. Monday, there had been 815 district-wide cases (704 student cases and 111 staff cases) since the first day of school on August 10. This represents an increase of 226 cases (201 student cases and 25 staff cases) since 10 hours. Monday – the highest day addition to the scoreboard since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The next highest single-day increase came on January 13, when 166 cases were added. During the last school year, DCPS had just under 2,500 cases.

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Before a decision was made, more than three hours of public commentary featured passionate appeals from both sides – people for and against masks. Over 65 community members shared their opinions.

“We have a responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves,” said parent Katie Wisner. “You have a responsibility to make the tough decisions to protect our children and our community. Please, as a parent, as a mother, I plead and I urge you and I beg you to listen to the science and the experts.

There was a strong display from parents who were totally opposed to a mask requirement and demanded that the board leave the policy as it is, citing the order of Florida Governor DeSantis.

“If you intend to re-implement a mask warrant, it is the responsibility of the Duval County School Board to explain to all of their stakeholders why masks are absolutely necessary,” said parent LeeAnn Parker. “Show us that COVID infections will be reduced with a mask warrant. “

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It was a tense reunion with school board president Elizabeth Andersen who had to repeatedly tell the audience to calm down.

Others, including doctors, lawyers, parents and staff at Duval County public schools, called on the school board to reinstate last year’s mandate or at least demand a grade. of the doctor to withdraw.

“We need to get over these inaccurate and exaggerated thoughts that COVID-19 is an insignificant infection in children. This is just not true, ”said Dr Sunil Joshi, allergist and immunologist. “More recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics noted that between May 2020 and July 2021, approximately 400 children died from COVID-19 in the United States, which is comparable to what we see with the seasonal flu for which we have a vaccine. , in this case, children under 12 cannot be vaccinated.

Ernesto Rubio, acting director of the Florida Health Department in Duval County, was also there to support the masking.

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Monday’s emergency meeting was called by school board vice president Darryl Willie, who said the pandemic emergency is at a point where the school board must impose a mandate.

“If we continue on the path we are on, we need to do something to protect our staff and our students,” Willie said at the meeting.

Duval County joins a growing list of at least eight school districts across the state choosing to challenge DeSantis’ order banning any mask warrant requiring a doctor’s note to withdraw.

“By their vote tonight, the Duval County School Board blatantly defied Florida law and Gov. Ron DeSantis by violating the Governor’s Order in Council and the Parents Bill of Rights, removing the ‘opt-out’ for masks in our schools, “the Republican Party of Duval County tweeted Monday night.

The DeSantis administration has threatened to cut funding and withhold salaries for school board members who decide to go against the order. But the Biden administration said it would make up the difference in any state-level funding cuts for districts requiring a mask.

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Andersen said that while the governor’s administration threatened salaries, student safety is worth it.

“We have seen several districts keep the opt-out in place and leave it to the doctors,” Andersen said. “Our salaries are secondary.

Florida’s battle over masks in schools to guard against COVID-19 landed on Monday before a judge considering a lawsuit challenging DeSantis’ order. The hearing is scheduled to end on Wednesday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of their immunization status.