Florida: Governor DeSantis Blocks School Mask Mandates in Executive Order

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday issued an executive order to block mask mandates in schools. The governor said his order lets parents exercise their right to decide for their own children whether to wear masks. School districts in two Florida counties—Broward and Gadsden—previously issued mask mandates for students, effective when classes start in August. Their mandates came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that all students, teachers, and staff wear masks regardless of whether they have been vaccinated. But DeSantis has made his stance firm on mask requirements. In a speech in Cape Coral announcing…