LARGO, Fla. — At the time of this writing, nine school districts in Florida, including Hillsborough and Sarasota, are not complying with the governor's order banning mask mandates.
On Wednesday at a news conference in The Villages, Gov. Ron DeSantis said there will be consequences for defying the order.
"Nobody is above the law and you can't go above the law and take away people's rights. That's what they're doing," he said. "They are taking away parents' rights, and there will be consequences."
He failed to elaborate on what those exact consequences will be but previously mentioned withholding the salaries of superintendents and school board members who are not in compliance.
On Tuesday, the Pinellas County School Board voted 4-3 not to move forward with a meeting about a mask mandate.
Board member Caprice Edmond filed the motion for that special meeting.
"I was hopeful we would have at least four votes, however, I've been trying since late July to have a special meeting so we could talk about implementing a mandate," she said.
Some board members, including Board Chair Carol Cook, said they didn't want to defy the governor's order, an order over which parents are suing DeSantis right now.
They question the constitutionality of the executive order banning mask mandates in schools. Their lawyers say the Florida Constitution gives power to local school boards.
If the judge rules in favor of the parents, Edmond is hopeful her board in Pinellas County will reconsider their decision.
"I believe that there is no giving up on ensuring the safety of our students and staff, so I'm going to continue to advocate for more policies, more guidelines to ensure the safety of our students and staff," she said.