Florida governor says school leaders could be denied salaries in clash over mask wearing

Governor argues ‘all parents have a right to make healthcare decisions’ for their children

Florida’s governor has said school leaders’ salaries could be withheld if they implement mask-wearing mandates in their schools.

Last month, Mr DeSantis signed an executive order banning the use of mask mandates in schools, saying “all parents have a right to make healthcare decisions” for their children.

This week, the governor’s office said that the state board of education “could move to withhold the salary of the district superintendent or school board members” who refuse to comply.

The Florida Department of Health issued an emergency ruling that districts must allow parents to decide whether their children should wear a mask or not by order of the governor.

Two Florida school districts first announced last week that they would follow recommendations from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prompting four others to follow suit.

However, most have clarified that parents can choose to opt out of the policies such as in Orange County, home to Orlando.

The superintendent of a school district in Florida’s capital on Monday said that he will require students to wear masks.

The governor’s office said in a statement that the Leon County district’s new policy “blatantly violates the spirit of the executive order and the rules”.

In response to Mr Desantis’s office announcing of the possibility of withholding salaries, one Florida school board member told the governor to “bring it”.

“Standing up for our students and our families is part of our job,” Nora Rupert said. “Being afraid that we’re going to lose our job, be removed from office, fined, lose our salary, bring it.”

The tension comes amid a surge of coronavirus infections in the state as a result of the more transmissible Delta variant with the new wave set to coincide with the new school year.

Mr DeSantis, a Republican, has taken a hard-line stance on pandemic mitigation efforts like lockdowns and face mask mandates amid the pandemic.

In May, the governor issued an executive order ending all local Covid-19 restrictions, mandates and emergency orders implemented amid the health crisis.

Certain local officials have criticised the state leader for his position on coronavirus mitigation measures, but the governor has maintained that “mandates do not work to stop Covid-19”.

Mr DeSantis has maintained that he believes the best way to protect against the virus is vaccination. Only just over 50 per cent of people in Florida are fully vaccinated.

The CDC recommends universal indoor masking by all students above the age of two staff, teachers, and visitors due to the Delta variant.

Children are significantly less likely to become severely ill from coronavirus infection and are likely to experience mild symptoms. But they are not immune to the virus or guarantueed to only have a mild case if they do get infected – in Florida alone, there are more than 170 children in hospital with coronavirus.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press