DeSantis to sign executive order allowing parents to defy school mask mandates

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Friday said he will sign an executive order to “protect the rights of parents” and allow them to choose whether their children should wear masks even if their school requires them to do so.

“In Florida, there will be no lockdowns, there will be no school closures, there will be no restrictions and no mandates in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.

The governor cited a Brown University study that found no connection between case rates and mask mandates at schools. Critics have said that study was centered on schools in smaller communities that reopened earlier in the pandemic and is now outdated, WPLG reported.

Follows: DeSantis’s announcement follows Broward County’s decision to require students in their public schools to wear masks going into the 2021-22 school year.

This week, the CDC also recommended all adults and students wear masks in K-12 schools, regardless of their vaccination status.