Florida School Districts and Texas Counties Defiant Vs. Mask Mandate Ban of State Governors

Two Texas counties and several Florida school districts dismiss their states’ ban on mask mandates, choosing instead to impose the mask-wearing rule.

In Florida, the school districts’ acts of defiance disregard Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ threats of holding back the wages of the school board members and district superintendents if they do not abide by his mask ban. The Florida governor continues to ban the wearing of masks in schools even as the state has been making record for having the highest surge of delta variant cases that are now overwhelming Florida’s hospitals.

The Chair of the Broward County School Board said that following the mask mandate is also ignoring the still worsening pandemic. She added that instead of things getting the virus has developed into somethings that is deadlier and not wearing masks will only let the virus to spread, grow and mutate into another variant.

The Florida State Education Department Demands Explanations from Defiant School Districts

The state’s Department of Education sent the Broward County School Board a letter concerning the 8-1 vote in support of the mandate. Apparently, as protocol before sanctions are imposed, Florida’s Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran wrote that they intend to launch an investigation.

The concerned districts are required to send written explanations by 5 pm Friday. The Education commissioner clarified that the governor’s emergency order give students. parents or guardians the option of not making their children wear masks in school campuses

Texas Judge Gives Counties Right to Override Texas Governor’s Mask Ban

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also issued an executive order banning school mask mandates despite the surge in coronavirus cases across the state. However, a Texas judge granted defiant Bexar and Dallas counties temporary power to override the governor’s order by mandating the wearing of masks in their counties.