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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) issued an executive order on Friday banning local school districts from requiring students to wear masks when they return to class next month.
Why is this important: The spread of the Delta variant has led to a spike in new infections across the United States, sparking another round of debates over COVID guidelines in schools.
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DeSantis’ announcement comes after the Broward County School Board adopted a mask mandate on Wednesday due to new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, the Staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools this coming year school, regardless of immunization status.
Details: The order directs the Florida Department of Education and the Department of Health to issue emergency rules protecting the rights of parents to make this decision about wearing masks for their children.
What he says : Wearing face masks is the decision of parents, not the government, DeSantis told supporters at a restaurant on Friday.
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“We think this is the fairest way to do it,” he added.
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“I have young children. My wife and I are not going to do masks with the children… I want to see my children smile. I want them to have fun.”
Florida Education Association, which represents 150,000 public school employees, criticized DeSantis’ one-size-fits-all policy.
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“It doesn’t matter if we live in urban South Florida, in rural Panhandle or somewhere in between, we all want our children to be healthy and safe,” the union said in a statement.
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“Sadly, through his words and actions, Governor DeSantis has made it clear that he does not respect the freedom of elected officials to do what they believe is best for their communities.”
The big picture: School masking has reappeared as a pandemic fault line across Florida, writes Selene San Felice of Axios Tampa Bay.
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