School District Says Gov. DeSantis Has No Authority To Rescind, Alter School Board Policy.
UPDATE: 10:53 a.m: The Palm Beach County School District says that the Florida Department of Education concurs that DeSantis’ order has no effect on school policies for masking.
BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2021 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — The Palm Beach County School District Tuesday morning is doubling down on its position that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has no authority to rescind the mask mandate approved by the school board.
DeSantis on Monday declared that COVID-19 is effectively in Florida so local municipalities can no longer require masks or continue with a “state of emergency.”
But the Palm Beach County School District says the mask mandate isn’t an “emergency order,” it’s a rule, and the rule must be followed — just like any other rule approved by the school board.
The Palm Beach County School District has logged 3,575 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday morning.
Here is the statement issued by the Palm Beach County School District:
It’s important to note that the School District does not have an emergency order in place relating to facial coverings. However, the District does have a Covid-19 Student Policy and a Covid-19 Employee Policy, both of which require the wearing of facial coverings on District property.
Both of these policies remain in place until further notice.
“As stated in the Covid-19 Student Policy, any student choosing not to adhere to the District’s policy regarding the wearing of facial coverings, or any other aspects of this School Board-approved guidance, will be subject to consequences as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct and may be assigned to Distance Learning.
The health and safety of our students and staff continues to be the School Board’s top priority. The District is continually working with the Florida Department of Health (FLDOH) in Palm Beach County, which is conducting contact tracing in our schools.
Evidence continues to show that most COVID-19 cases are brought onto our campuses, not transmitted within our campuses. Health officials attribute the very low transmission rates in our schools to social distancing practices and the mandatory wearing of facial coverings.
The County, the Florida Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) continue to recommend the wearing of facial coverings. The District will continue to follow the guidance of professional health advisors and maintain our current Covid-19 policies until health officials deem these actions no longer necessary.
All District parents, staff, students, and community members will be alerted if the District’s position on facial coverings changes. Thank you for your patience and understanding as the District continues to navigate the challenges presented by the pandemic.”
