‘We need our kids to breathe’: DeSantis opposes federal mask mandate in Florida schools

Gov. Ron DeSantis is redoubling his opposition to masks at a time when COVID-19 cases are increasing across the state and schools are preparing to bring students back to campus.

Speaking at a news conference in Fort Pierce, DeSantis said Thursday that he opposes any attempt from the federal government to mandate masks among schoolchildren in the coming school year. He threatened to call back the state Legislature if necessary to block the idea in Florida.

“We look forward to this upcoming year [being] a normal year, to be in person and learn like normal kids,” he said. “There’s been talk about potentially people advocating at the federal level, imposing compulsory masks on kids. We’re not doing that in Florida. We need our kids to breathe.”

The governor’s statements reflect a reemerging debate about masks that has divided the country since the pandemic began.

Mask opponents have swarmed public meetings and staged angry protests, often putting personal liberty above the guidance of public health officials.

Despite surging cases of the Delta variant, DeSantis said that masks are “terribly” uncomfortable for children, that they restrict their breathing and that “there’s not very much science behind it.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other experts disagree, saying that mask-wearing reduces new infections and helps stop the spread of COVID-19.

”Adopting universal masking policies can help avert future lockdowns, especially if combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing, hand hygiene, and adequate ventilation,” the CDC said in its latest guidance on masks.

As far as schools, the CDC earlier this month suggested that fully vaccinated students, teachers and staff do not need to wear masks in school. But President Joe Biden and health officials are reportedly in talks to revise mask guidance, CNN reported Thursday, citing multiple unnamed sources. No specifics have been announced.

Floridians largely shed their masks after COVID-19 cases hit a six-month low in April and the CDC changed its guidance, saying vaccinated people would no longer be required to wear them. But cases and hospitalizations have crept up since then.

Florida now leads the country in new COVID cases, according to the latest data from the Florida Department of Health. The agency on Friday reported 45,604 new cases, almost double the number from only a week earlier.

The trend has not influenced DeSantis’ position on schools. “Parents obviously can equip their kids to go to school however they want, but there shouldn’t be any coercive mandates on our schools,” he said.

Following orders from the state government, Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade County schools all have said masks will be optional for students in the coming school year, although Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie said the policy could change if the pandemic grows worse.

Parents faced off over the topic Wednesday at a meeting of the Palm Beach County School Board.

Dozens of speakers bashed the idea of mandatory masks in schools, while a few pleaded with board members to require students and staff to continue wearing them.

Board member Debra Robinson called for an examination of school reopening plans in concert with health officials.

Last June, the number of new COVID-19 cases reached 18.2 per 100,000 people each day, Robinson said. Now, that number is up to 23.7 per 100,000 people.

“If we had all of these protective measures in place then, we should not just turn away,” Robinson said. “We cannot put our head in the sand when the numbers are skyrocketing.”

As of Tuesday, at least nine states — Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Vermont — have passed legislation that prohibits school districts from enacting mask mandates, according to an analysis by CNN. At least six states — Connecticut, Hawaii, New Mexico, New York, Virginia and Washington — said they will require masks for all K-12 students.

Prohibiting mask mandates contrast sharply with the latest guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics. In a recommendation last week, the professional association urged in-person learning and universal mask-wearing in schools.

“As we start the 2021-22 school year, a large portion of students are not eligible to be vaccinated and there are COVID variants that are more contagious,” Dr. Sonja O’Leary, who chairs an American Academy of Pediatrics school health committee, said in a statement. “Because of this and because we want to have all students in school, the AAP advocates for all students, teachers and staff to wear masks while indoors in school.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that individual states and school districts should decide for themselves.

Austen Erblat can be reached at aerblat@sunsentinel.com, 954-599-8709 or on Twitter @AustenErblat.