Miami-Dade Public Schools, Florida’s largest school system, recently announced that parents can now opt-out of the controversial mask mandate. According to Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, parents can fill opt-out forms for their children to be excused from masking protocols.
According to the website, students will have the option to opt out of facial coverings for their children through their parents or guardians. If parents wish to take advantage of this provision, they will need to fill out an opt-out form and then return it to their child’s school. Facial coverings do not need to be worn by fully vaccinated staff members at the school.
The website emphasizes that the CDC continues to recommend masking in all school systems, vaccinated or not. It adds that their “medical experts” will continue following science, consulting with medical experts, and revising COVID-19 protocols. The announcement was made after a judge ruled that GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis had the authority to let parents opt out of totalitarian mandates set by the schools.
Broward, Miami-Dade, and Orange counties have sued to stop an update of the COVID-19 mask policies in schools, but Judge Brian Newman’s decision ruled that it was an invalid exercise of delegated power.
The superintendent tried to defend his opt-out by citing a drop in COVID-19 case numbers within the state. While districts have continued to claim that DeSantis’s administration is docking money for school board members, he’s really just protecting the rights of all Florida parents.
