Catholic Schools and Select Florida Counties Continue to Require Masks in the Classroom
On August 5th families of students that are attending Catholic schools in the Diocese of Venice in Florida were notified that new mandates are going to be implemented. Bishop Frank J. Dewane sent out a letter to families regarding the conversion from masks being optional to requiring masks for all staff members and students dependent on positivity rate.
Quoting Bishop Dwane, “Optionality will be adjusted, and masks will be required, temporarily, indoors in Catholic schools within counties with a positivity rate of 10% or greater.”
According to Covid Act Now, as of August 6th only two Florida counties are falling below the 10% positivity rate, Jackson and Glades County.
Public schools on the other hand have optional mask policies. Governor Ron DeSantis took direct action on mandating masks in schools.
Florida’s Department of Education has created the use of vouchers to allow children to transfer schools in order to avoid mask mandates.
Fox4News stated in a piece linked here, “The Florida Board of Education decided Friday to give parents a voucher to move their children to a private or charter school to avoid mask mandates, other COVID-19 restrictions, and bullying resulting from such.”
Families are given many opportunities to avoid being forced into practices they do not believe in. Even with actions taken against mask regulations, school districts have taken it upon themselves to continue mask mandates. Broward County public schools, for example, have stated they will be keeping their mask mandates in place.
The Washington Post stated August 4th, “Broward County Public Schools, the second-largest district in Florida and the sixth-largest in the country, announced Wednesday it will keep its mask mandate and await ‘further guidance before rendering a decision on the mask mandate for the upcoming school year.’”
