President Joe Biden has commended the Florida school districts who are defying Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order banning mask mandates in Florida’s schools.
Biden called Broward Superintendent Vickie Cartwright earlier this month and praised her “leadership and courage to do the right thing for the health and well-being of their students, teachers, and schools,” by imposing a district-wide mask mandate.
Broward and Alachua counties are the two remaining Florida school districts who are imposing mandatory mask mandates, and they are not offering parent permission opt-out forms, which many of Florida’s school districts have done to get around the executive order.
The White House released transcripts of the phone call between Biden and Cartwright, and Biden noted that his administration “stands ready to support their school districts and communities to get back to safe, full-time, in-person learning.”
In a letter sent to DeSantis and Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said they are also standing alongside the rogue school districts.
“The department stands with these dedicated educators who are working to safely reopen schools and maintain safe in-person instruction,” Cardona said.
We. Must. Protect. Children. https://t.co/HQSlhCLClA pic.twitter.com/LkT8JCjTpP
— Secretary Miguel Cardona (@SecCardona) August 14, 2021
DeSantis has been consistently speaking out against the infringement of the rights of parents by local governing bodies, citing the recently signed “Parental Bill of Rights” legislation from this past legislative session in his mask mandate ban.
“Those officials who infringe upon that right should own their decisions—and that means owning the consequences of their decisions, rather than demanding students, teachers, and school staff to foot the bill for their political grandstanding,” said DeSantis’ press secretary Christina Pushaw to Newsweek.
Biden and DeSantis have exchanged jabs over the last few weeks regarding masked children in schools, and Biden said officials who won’t help the schoolchildren to “get out of the way.”
“I say to these governors: Please help. If you aren’t going to help, at least get out of the way,” Biden said.
DeSantis immediately responded by saying he was going “stand in your way” from infringing on the rights of the parents and students to attend school maskless.
“Joe Biden suggests that if you don’t do lockdown policies, you should ‘get out of the way,’” DeSantis said. “Let me tell you this, if you’re coming after the rights of parents in Florida, I’m standing in your way.”
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at the Florida Capital Star and the Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
