U.S. Education Secretary To Support Schools With Mask Mandates

FLORIDA ? The U.S. Department of Education said it will stand by Florida school districts wanting to institute mask mandates for students and staff in defiance of Gov. Ron DeSantis' executive order forbidding such mandates.

In a letter to DeSantis and Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran Friday, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona admonished the governor's office for going against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines recommending all students and teachers wear masks.

"Florida?s recent actions to block school districts from voluntarily adopting science-based strategies for preventing the spread of COVID-19 that are aligned with the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention puts students and staff at risk," Cardona said. "In particular, I am deeply concerned about Florida?s July 30 executive order prohibiting school districts from adopting universal masking policies consistent with CDC guidance."

In his order, Executive Order 21-175, DeSantis said parents, not school boards, should decide whether a student wears a mask to school, pointing to a Brown University study that found no correlation between mask mandates and coronavirus rates.

Cardona expressed particular concern about an Aug. 9 statement from the governor warning school districts ?the State Board of Education could move to withhold the salary of the district superintendent or school board members" who go against his order.

Cardona said the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provides more than $7 billion to support Florida?s students and educators through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund.

"This includes paying the full salaries of educators (including superintendents) and school board members, regardless of whether the state moves to withhold some of their salary as Florida is threatening," he said.

Nevertheless, one school district ? Alachua County ? has opted to go against DeSantis' executive order. Cardona said "the department stands with these dedicated educators who are working to safely reopen schools and maintain in-person instruction."

Other schools districts have mandated that students wear masks but have given parents the opportunity to opt out of the mandate if they can show a valid reason why it would be detrimental for the student to wear a mask.

Cardona also chastised DeSantis and Corcoran for their failure to distribute Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds to Florida school districts in a timely manner.

One Florida school district ? Hillsborough County ? faced a $100 million budget shortfall last spring after spending millions of dollars to upgrade school ventilation systems, install social distancing measures and provide personal protection equipment without the benefit of the federal ESSER funds. Corcoran then threatened to take receivership of the school district if it didn't find a way to balance its budget.

To meet the state's order, the school district laid off more than 1,000 teachers and assistant principals.

Cardona said the American Rescue Act required the Florida Department of Education to distribute these funds to school districts no later than May 24 but that the department continued to withhold these funds from schools.

"The Florida Department of Education has made none of these funds available to Florida?s school districts for their intended purpose," he said. "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 said he called Corcoran on Aug. 4 and expressed a desire to "partner with the Department of Education on efforts to protect the health and safety of students and educators."

"If FL DOE does not wish to pursue such an approach, the department will continue to work directly with the school districts and educators that serve Florida?s students," he said. "In addition, the department will continue to closely review and monitor whether Florida is meeting all of its federal fiscal requirements."

Cardona sent a separate letter to Florida school superintendents offering his support if they wish to mandate masks. He said the school districts can use ESSER funds to cover any fines imposed by the state for defying DeSantis' executive order.

An emergency state board of education meeting has been called for Tuesday to review Cardona's letter and Alachua County's violation of the governor's executive order.

In response, the governor's office said it is doling out ESSER funds slowly to make them last several years.

"The notion that districts need to begin tapping into ARP Act (ESSER III) funds is premature by months, if not longer," the governor's office wrote. "Instead, Florida?s school leaders should be commended for making ESSER I funds last through the 2020-2021 school year and managing these resources wisely."

The governor's office said, "Gov. DeSantis allocated more than $1.4 billion from the Coronavirus Relief Fund to keep schools open and make sure they could cover their expenses, and Florida school districts also received nearly $700 million from the CARES Act (ESSER I)," adding, "It would be irresponsible to wastefully rush to spend these dollars before they are needed, as these funds are intended to address the full needs of educational recovery over multiple fiscal years.?

The governor's office said Cardona appears to be more concerned about the salaries of school superintendents than the rights of parents.

?It is surprising that the White House would rather spend money on the salaries of superintendents and elected politicians, who don?t believe that parents have a right to choose what?s best for their children, than on Florida?s students, which is what these funds should be used for," DeSantis' office wrote.

In response to Alachua County's decision to mandate masks, the governor's office said, "It?s clear that Alachua?s school board officials and superintendent are all about politics ? not education. It?s a shame that any child would be sent home with an unexcused absence for declining to wear a mask. This is detrimental to kids? academic, emotional, and social development."

"Education leaders should put kids first," said the governor's office. "And with outrageous and unlawful policies like this, Alachua is putting kids last.?

See related stories:

• Parents Set For FL Mask Mandate Showdown As 1st School Day Nears
• Florida Posts Record Number Of New Coronavirus Cases: CDC
• CDC Recommends Mask In All Schools; DeSantis Will Fight Mandate
• DeSantis To School Boards: You Better Not Mandate Masking Kids
• Fix $100M Hole Or Hillsborough Schools Will Be Taken Over: State