In doing so, the state board stated that school districts in Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Duval, Leon, Miami-Dade, Orange and Palm Beach counties were not in compliance and were in direct violation of the Florida Department of Health’s emergency rule. Were.
As a penalty, Florida Board of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran requested that “an amount equal to 1/12 of the salaries of all school board members” be withheld for each district, plus federal grant funds equal to Withhold any amount. for those districts by the administration of President Joe Biden.
In state board comments, superintendents of those districts argued on Thursday that they were in compliance, with many citing rising Covid-19 case counts and the spread in school as reasons for the mask mandate.
Duval County School Superintendent Diana Greene said in the second week after the school opened, the district recorded 10 staff deaths.
Additionally, the Department of Health had an “apparent inability” to complete contact tracing, case investigation and timely information to affected families, which “had a direct impact on the spread of the virus throughout our school, ultimately endangering health.” Was.” Safety of students and staff.”
Brevard County School Superintendent Mark Mullins argued that masks were mandatory after schools opened without them, leading to “disastrous consequences for our schools and community”.
“We had over 3,200 positive cases, one school had to be closed and others were on the verge of closing,” Mullins said. Staff members were also admitted to the hospital.
In a statement released Thursday, Alachua County Superintendent Carly Simon said the district will “maintain its existing masking protocols” regardless of the approval, adding, “We believe those protocols comply with state law and that students We abide by our constitutional obligation to provide a safe learning environment.”
Board of Education Commissioner criticizes federal grant
“I strongly believe that this federal grant program makes an unwarranted attempt to interfere with the authority of the state board to manage our state’s educational system. Education is a state responsibility, not a federal one, and one of our state. This board has been granted under the Constitution,” Corcoran said.
In response, Ian Rosenblum, deputy assistant secretary for policy and programs at the Department of Education, sent a letter to Corcoran on Thursday saying efforts to withdraw more money from schools presented “legal concerns.”
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said, “We should thank districts for using proven strategies that will keep schools open and safe, not punishing them. We stand with dedicated teachers in Alachua and across the country, who are working hard for their lives.” Schools are doing the right thing to protect communities.” Said last month.
“With these grants, we are ensuring that schools and communities around the country that are committed to secure individualized learning know we have their backs.”
6 districts filed a petition challenging the rule
Six districts filed a petition against the health department on Wednesday, challenging a rule that blocked implementation of the mask mandate and another that allowed parents to decide whether their student had a Covid-19 Must be quarantined after coming in contact with 19.
The petition was filed with the Florida Division of Administrative Affairs on behalf of the Miami-Dade, Broward, Orange, Duval, Alachua and Leon County School Boards.
The petition specifically challenged a rule allowing parents to exclude their children from the mask mandate, calling it “arbitrary and arbitrary”.
The petitioners claimed that the rule, “not really focused on controlling COVID-19 but on protecting the rights of parents”.
“DOH does not have rule-making authority in this area,” the petition said, “and thus exceeded its own rule-making authority.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the county where Mark Mullins works. He is the superintendent of Brevard County Public Schools.
CNN’s Ashley Ah contributed to this report.
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