PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Pinellas County School Board voted to not hold a special meeting to further discuss a potential mask mandate for students as COVID cases continue to fluctuate in the classroom.
As of Aug. 24, the school district's COVID-19 dashboard shows 1,001 total positive cases confirmed and 2,112 total "impacted" individuals.
Earlier this month, Pinellas Superintendent Dr. Michael Grego recommended the district keep the wording in their policy as-is with "strongly" recommending the use of face coverings, rather than requiring masks with an opt-out.
The battle over students wearing masks in the classroom began in late July when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order preventing schools from issuing mask mandates for students.
Desantis said school districts that defy the order could lose school funding, his office later clarifying it would be the equivalent of the superintendent's salary. The Biden Administration responded to the governor's decision with a letter stating it would support school boards in Florida that are defying his order to prohibit mask-wearing mandates.
Following DeSantis' order, the Florida Department of Health issued an emergency rule that says students may wear a mask in the classroom, but schools must allow parents the option to opt-out of any face-covering requirements for students.
The Florida Department of Education then met days before the new school year was set to begin and approved changes to both the student attendance policy and the Hope Scholarship. The latter now allows students to transfer schools if they experience "COVID-19 harassment" or discrimination from any schools' COVID-19 safety protocols or policies.
Several counties including Sarasota, Hillsborough and Manatee, have since implemented varying temporary mask mandates with medical requirements to opt-out. It's a decision the state sees as defying the governor's executive order.
So far, action has only been taken against the school boards of Alachua County and Broward County. It is unclear when or if, the State Board of Education plans to order compliance from further school districts.