Biden administration pressures Florida Gov. DeSantis over school mask policies
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has written Gov. Ron DeSantis saying that if his administration withholds state funding from school districts that enact mask mandates, those schools can use federal coronavirus relief dollars to make up for the penalties.
In a letter to DeSantis and Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona wrote Friday that he was “deeply concerned” that the DeSantis administration was preventing school districts from adopting mask policies consistent with health guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“In fact, it appears that Florida has prioritized threatening to withhold state funds from school districts that are working to reopen schools safely rather than protecting students and educators and getting school districts the federal pandemic recovery funds to which they are entitled,” Cardona wrote, referencing threats to slash superintendent and school board member salaries in districts that enact mask mandates without an opt-out option.
Two districts — Broward County Public Schools and Alachua County Public Schools — so far have defied the governor’s order, with mask policies that do not allow parents and students to opt out without a doctor’s note.
Read more: https://floridaphoenix.com/2021/08/16/biden-administration-pressures-florida-gov-desantis-over-school-mask-policies/
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