education

The state asked an administrative judge to toss the challenge by six school boards. The court is slated to hear the case Thursday morning.

The board adopted an emergency rule in August that said students under a quarantine directive can be deemed in attendance.

The department's proposal and emergency rule both call for allowing parents to opt out their children from masking and children to attend school if they have been exposed to COVID but are asymptomatic.

The bill, filed by Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, would put the prohibition on school mask requirements into state law.

The Duval County School Board is holding firm on its mask mandate. But, on the advice of attorneys, the board chose Monday to keep its discussion outside public view.

Attorneys for the Florida Department of Health said in a motion that Miami-Dade, Broward, Orange, Duval, Alachua and Leon counties do not have legal standing to challenge the rule.

Florida is the last state to submit a plan to the U.S. Department of Education that's required before more than $2.3 billion in federal aid for Florida schools can be released.

More than a dozen districts are slated to go before the board, which has already fined two — Alachua and Broward — over mask policies that do not allow parents the choice to opt out.

Before the Sarasota County School Board's repeal, masks were required if the positivity rate rose to about 10 percent, and optional if it fell below 8 percent for three consecutive days.

The vote to continue only medical exemptions for younger students follows calls for Superintendent Carlee Simon to resign after her clash with Gov. Ron DeSantis. A panel of UF medical experts spoke Tuesday on her behalf.