Ron DeSantis barred school districts from imposing their own mask mandates last week, school districts in Alachua and Duval counties have moved to require masks anyway as Covid-19 surges in the state. Asa Hutchinson has asked the state legislature to reconvene and amend its law banning school mask mandates—which is also being challenged by a parent-led lawsuit—and Democratic lawmakers in Oklahoma are seeking to have their state’s ban on school mask mandates rescinded. Broward County, Florida, reversed its mask mandate in light of DeSantis’ school mask order, and schools in Houston will not require masks even as the city itself has defied Texas’ mask mandate ban. In Salt Lake City, school administrators said the district is hamstrung by Utah’s restrictions on school mask mandates and directed those opposed to the state ban to direct their concerns to the state legislature instead. Key BackgroundState bans on local mask mandates have come under greater scrutiny as the surging delta variant and new public health guidance has spurred a new wave of mask mandates nationwide, with cities in Texas and Florida violating state rules to impose their own mask orders in addition to schools.

Source: Forbes August 04, 2021 21:08 UTC