Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what’s new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day’s biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider’s guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Axios on your phone
Get breaking news and scoops on the go with the Axios app.
Download for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas
Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during an event in Surfside, Florida, on Tuesday. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The Broward County School Board has become the latest in Florida to defy the state’s mask mandate ban, voting on Tuesday to keep the requirement for students and staff.
Why it matters: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has threatened to withhold the pay of superintendents and school board members who defy his executive order barring schools from issuing mask mandates, as Florida experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
- The Florida Department of Education has already sent a letter to the Broward County School Board following the 8-1 vote in favor of the mandate.
The big picture: Several school districts in Florida are pushing back on DeSantis’ ban. It’s a similar situation in Texas, where cases are also surging.
- Two school districts in Dallas and Bexar counties were granted by a judge on Tuesday the “temporary power to issue mask mandates” despite Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s order barring the health measure, per the Texas Tribune.
What they’re saying: Broward County School Board chair Rosalind Osgood said during a meeting on the matter Tuesday that they “can’t ignore this pandemic,” per CNN.
- “It’s deadly, and it’s getting worse instead of better and the more we don’t use masks, the more we position the mutation of this virus to grow,” Osgood added.
The other side: Florida Department of Education commissioner Richard Corcoran wrote in his letter that he was launching an investigation into the matter and demanded the board provide a written response by 5 p.m. this Friday.
- “This letter is sent to express my grave concern regarding your district’s significant neglect in response to the recently adopted Emergency Rule,” he wrote.
- He said the department’s emergency order banning mask mandates made clear that such policies imposed by a district or school “‘must allow for a parent or legal guardian of the student to opt-out the student from wearing a face covering or mask.'”
