The Leon County School District is the latest public school district to announce they are imposing K-8 mask mandates without a parent permission opt-out form. The district operated the first couple weeks of school without the opt-out form, but Superintendent Rocky Hanna made the announcement Sunday night.
“I do have an obligation to uphold the laws of the state of Florida,” said Hanna. “But, I have a greater obligation however to protect the health, safety and welfare of the children of Tallahassee and Leon County.”
The law Hanna is referencing is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order banning mask mandates, which the State Board of Education (BOE) has interpreted as Florida law.
Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said, “a mask requirement was in violation with state law and that if it was executed [Hanna], along with members of the Leon County School Board would be held in violation and face the maximum penalties under the law.”
The penalties being weighed by the BOE would be funds being withheld from the district equivalent to school board member salaries. However, the President Joe Biden Administration and the federal government have already said they will cover the difference of potential funds lost due to state penalty.
Hanna continued by saying he wants to do everything he can to keep schools open, but did not shoot down the idea of closing schools again if the COVID environment gets worse in Leon County. He noted Leon County currently has approximately 900 students in isolation.
DeSantis’ press secretary Christina Pushaw provided a statement to WCTV saying DeSantis’ team is disappointed in the decisions by Hanna and Leon County Schools.
“It is disappointing that Leon Schools would violate Florida law by reversing its mask policy, which had previously protected parents’ rights and complied with state law by offering an opt-out provision,” she wrote. “Governor DeSantis stands for parents’ rights, makes data-driven decisions, and follows the science.”
Hanna said he is fully aware of the consequences of his decision. DeSantis’ office responded in a statement – provided below – which said, in part, no official is above the law.
“It is disappointing that Leon Schools would violate Florida law by reversing its mask policy, which had previously protected parents’ rights and complied with state law by offering an opt-out provision. There is no scientific basis for Leon Schools’ decision; sadly, the school board and superintendent are focused on playing politics instead of doing their research — and doing the right thing for kids and families.
Governor DeSantis stands for parents’ rights, makes data-driven decisions, and follows the science. There is no empirical evidence to support the assertion that the benefits of forced masking of schoolchildren outweigh the potential harms. Masking kids under 12 is not recommended in many EU countries, because their health authorities have found that the risks are not well understood – and the data shows that forced-masking of young children has a negligible impact on COVID prevalence and spread.
Nobody is above the law, not even school board politicians.”
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at the Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
