As Monday Mask Protest Looms, Manatee County Schools Prepare

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — As some parents threaten to send their children to school without masks Monday, protesting the School District of Manatee County’s face mask policy, the district remains dedicated to requiring students, teachers and visitors to wear masks.

The district learned of the planned protest April 30, when the protest organizer spoke at a Manatee County School Board meeting, the Bradenton Herald reported.

“On May 17, I’m sending my daughter to school without her mask as a protest — a peaceful protest that you guys all support,” Ryan Bray said.

Bray filed a complaint against the school board May 5 for not removing its mask policy despite executive orders from Gov. Ron DeSantis banning local governments from penalizing individuals for not wearing a mask in public.

He claims the board is a “political subdivision,” meaning it was created under state law, and should follow the governor’s orders.

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Bray also filed an emergency motion for injunctive relief against the school board May 5, which was denied May 6 by Circuit Judge Edward Nicholas, who determined the matter is “not an emergency.”

With less than a month left to the school year, there isn’t enough time for the board to advertise and vote on a proposed policy change, such as ending School Board Policy 8450 requiring face masks, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported. To change any district policy, it must be advertised for 30 days ahead of a school board vote, which allows ample time for the public to provide feedback on proposed policy updates.

With rumors swirling of a Monday mask protest, Manatee County schools sent out a mask reminder, sharing it on their website.

“We have less than three weeks left in the 2020-2021 school year. Just 14 school days,” the district wrote. “Please help us finish this school year in a positive and productive way by continuing to adhere to all School Board policies and procedures put in place to help us navigate through this most challenging of school years. That includes School Board Policy 8450.”

The policy “mandates that all employees, visitors, and students wear a face mask while on school property, facilities, school buses and/or engaged in school activities in accordance with the District’s policies, procedures and protocols.”

In its message, the district said, “While some may support the right to a peaceful protest, those protests cannot include violations of School Board policy, such as policy 8450.”

Any student who shows up to a school without a mask will be provided a mask, Michael Barber, communications director for the district, told Patch. “If the student will not wear the mask, it will be handled much in the same way as a dress code violation. Their parents will be contacted and informed that their student is not complying with the district policy.”

If students refuse to wear a mask after that, they’ll be sent to “a neutral location on campus away from students who are in compliance,” Barber added. “They will be able to do academic work in that location. If the student refused to go to the neutral location, they will be sent home for the day. Those students can come back the next day and the same rules will apply.”