The office of Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) announced on Monday that school officials who ignore his executive order banning mask mandates could face penalties from the Florida Board of Education, including the withholding of salaries.
DeSantis’ office told CBS Miami in a statement on Monday, “With respect to enforcing any financial consequences for noncompliance of state law regarding these rules and ultimately the rights of parents to make decisions about their children’s education and health care decisions, it would be the goal of the State Board of Education to narrowly tailor any financial consequences to the offense committed. For example, the State Board of Education could move to withhold the salary of the district superintendent or school board members, as a narrowly tailored means to address the decision-makers who led to the violation of law.”
“Education funding is intended to benefit students first and foremost, not systems,” the statement continued. “The Governor’s priorities are protecting parents’ rights and ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality education that meets their unique needs.”
DeSantis issued the executive order banning mask mandates on August 1, as reported by National File:
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has issued an executive order banning masks in schools. He slammed the CDC’s recommendation in favour of them, saying it showed the organisation had a “callous disregard for the physical, emotional, and academic well-being of our children.”
DeSantis issued the order on Friday, which noted that forcing children to wear masks in schools “may lead to negative health and societal ramifications,” and could also “inhibit breathing, lead to the collection of dangerous impurities and adversely affect communications in the classroom and student performance.” It also argued that there was no stastically siginificant evidence that would show that mask mandates affected the rate of coronavirus spread.
The news that officials who disregard the order could face withheld paychecks has incited rage among mask fans on social media.
