A Florida judge has ruled school districts in the state can require students to wear masks. At least ten school districts — including those in many of the largest cities — had been defying state rules banning masks ordered by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Judge John Cooper ruled on a lawsuit brought by parents who say Governor DeSantis overstepped his authority when his administration said school districts couldn't order students to wear masks. DeSantis had warned "there will be consequences" for districts that defied the ban.
In court this week, lawyers for the parents say DeSantis's order violates a constitutional requirement that districts operate schools that are safe and secure. The state maintains parents have the ultimate authority to decide what's best for their kids. The judge's ruling allows school districts to require masks.
Noting that the coronavirus — and particularly the Delta variant — is highly contagious and sometimes fatal to children, Cooper urged people to take a step back, "We will not solve any issue if we can't sit down and work together and take positions recognizing what's going on is not some recent imposition or some attack on the country."
The coronavirus and the Delta variant have ripped across Florida in recent months (an elementary school in Vero Beach shut down on Friday until after Labor Day). More people have been infected and hospitalized of COVID than at any point during the pandemic. The number of deaths, about 242 a day, is also near a record level.
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