Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Threatens To Withhold School Leaders' Salaries If They Require Masks
It's almost like DeSantis want children to get sick.
YES Market Media / Shutterstock Ron “Don’t Fauci My Florida” DeSantis — or “Death Santis” as some like to call him, announced that the state Board of Education could withhold pay from school officials who require students to mask up in the classroom.
Just when you thought Republican Florida Governor Ron Desantis and his war on mask mandates in schools could not get any worse, he continues to do everything he can to make it more difficult to save people's lives.
Gov. DeSantis may not pay school officials for disobeying his mask mandate ban.
Florida’s schools are prepared to open campuses back up, and Governor Ron DeSantis has gone to great lengths to prevent statewide mask mandates in public schools.
Despite DeSantis’ executive order that creates an easy avenue for students and parents to opt-out of wearing masks in the classrooms, many schools are trying to do everything they can to slow the spread of COVID-19 by requiring masks.
If a parent wants to opt-out of their student wearing a mask, they’re required to fill out a form. In some school districts, students must also present a doctor’s note. What kind of doctor would sign off on that?
But DeSantis is finding new and more terrifying ways to make school's abide by his rules.
DeSantis has threatened to cut salaries of school faculty violating his mask mandate restrictions.
The governor’s office issued a statement that said, “It would be the goal of the State Board of Education to narrowly tailor any financial consequences to the offense committed. For example, the State Board of Education could move to withhold the salary of the district superintendent or school board members, as a narrowly tailored means to address the decision-makers who led to the violation of law.”
“The Governor’s priorities are protecting parents’ rights and ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality education that meets their unique needs,” the statement continued.
Miami-Dade Superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, runs the fourth largest school district in the nation.
“At no point shall I allow my decision to be influenced by a threat to my paycheck,” he said. “A small price to pay considering the gravity of this issue and the potential impact to the health and well-being of our students and dedicated employees.”
Florida's Covid-19 cases are increasing.
Foundation Hospital in Miami, Florida is seeing a dramatic surge in COVID-19 cases — but not just in adults.
At least 135 children were hospitalized as of Sunday, August 8.
Data shows that there’s an average of 19,215 positive cases in Florida each day.
Florida currently holds the second-highest rate of new cases per capita below Louisiana — and it’s only going to get worse from here — unless the Florida government finally decided to take the pandemic seriously, of course.
The delta variant is extremely contagious, therefore the CDC recommends indoor masking for all students ages 2 and up — the vaccinated and unvaccinated alike.
Former CDC director, Doctor Tom Frieden said, “It is extremely disappointing to see governors around the country banning things that would save lives and keep our kids and teachers in school learning. You can fight this virus either with science or without it."
Dean of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, Doctor Peter Hotez, also took a similar position.
For the first time, he said, the United States is seeing large numbers of children in pediatric intensive care units. And that’s before all schools have opened in Florida.
"If we're already seeing Covid-19 pediatric ICU admissions in children's hospitalizations before school's open, what's going to happen after that?" Hotez asked. "Schools are going to be an accelerant for this if we don't have all of those kids masked."
Pursuing an education is now a physical risk.
Some Florida schools are still hoping to require masks.
Doctor Carlee Simon, who serves as the Superintendent for Alachua Public Schools, professed that her district would ignore the ban.
"The governor should take the conservative step and do everything he can to protect the lives of everyone in our community," Doctor Simon said. "I believe the governor has other interests that he's focusing on."
It wouldn’t be the first time that Governor Ron DeSantis has had ulterior motives when it comes to passing legislature.
A group of parents have also taken a lawsuit against the state and requested a judge to block DeSantis' ban. Here's hoping their efforts are more effective at saving lives that their governors.
Izzy Casey is a writer who covers pop culture, entertainment, and news.