District: Masks now optional for Orange students
Orange County Public School students no longer need notes from their parents to avoid wearing face masks at school, and campus visitors can stop wearing them after the Thanksgiving break.
The school district said the latest change to its face mask rules came after Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature this week passed a new law banning mask mandates in public schools.
A state rule previously banned mask mandates in schools, but some districts, including OCPS, defied it for a time, saying it did not make sense as COVID-19 cases surged in late summer and questioning its validity. The Orange County School Board challenged the rule in court but did not appeal when a judge on Nov. 5 ruled in favor of DeSantis and the Florida Department of Health.
The Orange County School Board opened the school year with a mask-optional policy that required parental notes to opt-out. Then it decided on a 60-day mask mandate in late August. That rule expired at the end of October and the district returned to the optionalwith-note rule.
The district’s latest announcement, made late Thursday, scraps the note requirement.
“As a result of the passage of a new law this week in Tallahassee, masks will now be optional for students in OCPS buildings and vehicles. Parent notes are no longer required and staff will no longer monitor face mask compliance,” read the message to parents.
The Palm Beach County school district made a similar announcement Friday, the Palm Beach Post reported.
The Orange district dropped its mask mandate for employees starting Nov. 11.
After the Thanksgiving break, masks will also be optional for parents and other visitors to OCPS campuses, the district said.
The Orange teachers union said last week it was upset the district changed made such a quick change to the employee rule.
“There are individuals with underlying conditions—employeesandstudentswhonow haveone-daynoticetomakedecisionsregarding their health,” said a statement from the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association.
On Facebook, some parents also objected to the latest announcement, saying younger children haven’t had a chance to get fully vaccinated yet. “Thank our governor for this,” one wrote.
But hundreds also approved of the OCPS announcement, giving its Facebook post “like” and “love” emojis.
School leaders imposed mask mandates as COVID-19 cases spiked but in the last month cases have dropped sharply, prompting the decision to rescind the requirements.
The district reported 491 student cases on Sept. 7, for example, and 15 cases on Nov. 18.