Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the Broward County School Board announced Tuesday their decisions to remove requirements for K-8 students and staff to wear face coverings, while still strongly encouraging their use.
The two districts were among eight that stuck to their mask mandates, despite GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis threatening to cut school funding. The governor issued an executive order allowing parents to decide whether their children should wear masks in schools, but some school boards decided to defy the order.
“We consulted once again with our medical experts having obtained overwhelming consensus about today’s announcement,” Carvalho said.
In a statement, the district noted, “While local conditions have improved and the school district is revising its COVID-19 protocols, the CDC continues to recommend universal masking in schools, regardless of vaccination status.”
Meanwhile, in Broward County, the school board voted Tuesday evening to strongly encourage face masks in schools, making them optional starting November 20.
Broward County Public Schools will begin offering vaccinations to students with parental permission at some of its elementary schools starting Wednesday, according to Interim Superintendent Dr. Vickie L. Cartwright.
Broward County Public Schools is the nation’s sixth-largest school district, with more than 270,000 students and about 30,000 employees, according to its website. And Miami-Dade Public Schools’ website shows it is the fourth-largest school district in the country with more than 334,000 students and about 41,000 employees.