Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order ending local coronavirus mandates doesn’t cover school districts, but on Tuesday he expressed his hope that students won’t be wearing masks this fall.
"These kids do not need to be wearing these masks, OK? I'm sorry, they don't," he said during a news conference and bill signing at a Jacksonville Catholic school. "We need to be able to let them be kids and let them act normally. And that's what should be the case in the fall throughout the school year."
The governor’s May 3 order came days after state Surgeon General Scott Rivkees recommended the end of mask wearing for fully vaccinated people, and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran has told superintendents that masks in schools should be voluntary this fall.
Many Florida district have already determined or are developing policies on masks for the fall. The governor says his goal isn’t complicated.
"What's our direction to the school districts and the other schools?” he replied when asked about the issue. “Our direction is relatively simple. Have a normal school year. That's what we want, and that's what will happen."
