Leon County Schools making masks completely optional as COVID positivity hits 2.7%
Masks are now completely optional in Leon County Schools.
Parents no longer have to opt out their child from wearing a mask with a form sent to the school. Instead, a parent has sole discretion on whether their child wears a mask.
“Beginning today, face masks or any other facial coverings will be optional for students and adults on Leon County School's campuses,” Assistant Superintendent Alan Cox said in a Thursday email to school administrators.
Emails from principals quickly followed to parents through school listservs.
The change is part of the newly signed Florida law known as HB 1B, approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis after the Florida Legislature’s special session last month.
More: Are vaccine mandates banned in Florida now? What happened in the Legislative Special Session
It’s one of four bills discussed during the session to counter what DeSantis sees as onerous COVID safety measures from the Biden administration and to stop local governments and schools from enacting their own. All the measures passed mostly along party lines.
The new law solidifies the governor’s emergency order from earlier in the year that directed the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Department of Health to issue emergency rules to allow parents to make the decision for their children to wear masks in schools.
When reached for comment about the policy, district spokesperson Chris Petley said the district would have no comment at this time.
More: Florida Gov. DeSantis signs executive order making masks in schools optional
The current 7-day average COVID-19 positivity rate in Leon County is 2.73%, according to the Centers for Disease Control. District schools have reported only three COVID-19 cases in the past 14 days, and currently only four students are quarantined for potential exposure.
The district recently dropped a lawsuit against the governor after an administrative law judge said decisions to opt out of student mask requirements are at the “sole discretion” of parents or guardians.
More: Leon Schools pulls out of DOAH appeal challenging DeSantis ban on mask mandates
Leon County Schools had joined another five school districts in Florida and alleged the governor's executive order banning all mask mandates was an overreach.
“While we continue to believe in our right to make decisions that are overwhelmingly supported by our community, we no longer believe it is prudent for us to pursue a short-term legal remedy to determine where the line is drawn between state rights and the rights of our local school system,” Leon Superintendent Rocky Hanna said in a statement.
Contact Ana Goñi-Lessan at AGoniLessan@tallahassee.com and follow her on Twitter @goni_lessan.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon County Schools no longer requiring mask opt-out form from parents
