Education

The school superintendent in Tallahassee has announced that masks will be required for students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, becoming the seventh district to defy Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on such COVID-19 mandates. 

After hours of public comment and several recesses to calm a heated gallery, the Sarasota County school board voted 3-2 Friday night to implement a 90-day mask requirement for students and staff.

The Center for Digital Heritage and Geospatial Information at USF uses laser scanners and other digital equipment to make detailed images of threatened and historical sites around the world.

Florida’s commissioner of education says he’ll withhold the salaries of school board members in two districts found to be in violation of the governor’s executive order banning mask mandates, but the Biden administration says the districts can draw on federal funds.

School has been back in session in Hillsborough County for eight days, and already, more than 13,000 employees and students have been sent home due to the spread of COVID-19.

Four of Florida's five largest school districts are now defying Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on mask mandates. School boards in Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Alachua counties are all requiring students to wear face coverings unless they get a doctor's note -- no longer allowing parents to opt out.

Despite the understanding they could be facing punishment by the state, the Hillsborough County School Board voted to defy Governor Ron DeSantis' ban on mask mandates as they instituted a requirement that students wear masks for 30 days.

President Biden has ordered his Education secretary to explore possible legal action against states, including Florida, that have blocked school mask mandates. The Education Department says such bans could amount to discrimination and civil rights violations.

Faced with rising numbers of COVID-19 cases and students quarantining at home due to contact with the virus, the Hillsborough County School Board voted Wednesday to buck the governor’s order and mandate masks for all students and staff.

Attorneys for a group of parents are pushing back against the state's attempt to dismiss their lawsuit challenging Gov. Ron DeSantis' efforts to prevent mask mandates in schools.

The State Board of Education on Tuesday ratcheted up pressure on officials in two school districts who want student mask mandates with exceptions only for medical reasons, floating the possibility that district leaders who defy state directives could be removed from office.

Many of Florida’s largest school districts are finding it difficult because of the pandemic to hire enough bus drivers, with some using managers and other stop-gap measures to get students to class as the new school year begins.

Arguing that the case raises a "political" question, attorneys for the state say a circuit judge should dismiss a lawsuit challenging moves by Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration that seek to prevent school districts from requiring students to wear masks.

The U.S. Department of Education is “deeply concerned” about Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order seeking to ban school mask mandates and is ready to help districts directly, the federal agency said in a letter to the governor.

At an emergency meeting concerning COVID-19 cases in the district, Manatee County's school board voted to enact a policy similar to other school districts – one in which parents would have the ability to opt their kids out of wearing masks.

The Hillsborough County School Board says 5,599 students and 316 employees are being quarantined due to exposure to COVID-19 after just the first week of classes. Officials are calling an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss next steps, including a possible mask mandate for all students and staff.