FLORIDA (AP) – President Joe Biden phoned Florida and Arizona school superintendents to congratulate them on doing the right thing in defiance of their Republican governors despite rising COVID-19 infections.
The statehouse took the initiative to congratulate them for their leadership and discuss their shared commitment to putting all kids back in safe, full-time in-person learning this school year.
The statement added that the President praised their leadership and bravery for protecting children, teachers, and schools.
Biden Calls On School Administrators And Applauds Their Defiance Of Anti-Mask Regulations.
As in-person courses begin, emotions rise over whether local school systems may and should compel students and employees to hide their faces. Following the COVID-19 epidemic, many Texas school districts and counties won interim court wins Friday to overturn Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s prohibition on mask requirements.
Many people oppose obligatory mask-wearing. Officials at a suburban Chicago high school sent a freshman home Friday for refusing to hide her face, a move her mother says violates her daughter’s rights.
After authorities ordered her to wear a mask, Sheri Urlacher claimed her daughter was taken home from Palatine’s Fremd High School. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, she said that her daughter respectfully refused to wear the mask over her mouth and nose. Urlacher said she was disturbed by the school’s original choice to send her daughter home.
She claimed that the school and the government do not have the authority to make choices regarding her body. The incident came days after Democrat Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered all school students from preschool through 12th grade to wear facial coverings to prevent the spread of a deadly delta form of the virus.
While the COVID-19 epidemic spreads in Florida, Biden’s call to the Broward County school superintendent intensified the president’s political fight with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. After threatening to withdraw state funding from any school district that enforces a mask requirement, the Biden administration has guaranteed Broward money.
DeSantis has used new legislation to prevent schools and other local governments from requiring masks. The governor thinks masks are unnecessary for children, who are less susceptible to the coronavirus than adults and hinder learning. He also stated parents should decide whether their kid wears a mask. The state board of education has announced that children forced to wear masks against their parents’ wishes may be eligible for a private school voucher.
An email requesting a comment Saturday went unanswered. This Monday, its school board imposed the mask requirement 8-1 despite DeSantis’ opposition. DeSantis is up for re-election next year and is contemplating a 2024 run against Biden, who has recently snubbed him. A Saturday phone call and email to his press office went unanswered.
In June, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed budget legislation prohibiting school districts from mandating mask-wearing.
The Arizona law prohibiting district-mandated mask use goes into effect on Sept. 29. It contains a retroactive provision to July 1, but Phoenix Union argues it is not binding yet. For the second day in a row, Arizona reported over 3,000 new COVID-19 cases. Six months ago, when the winter spike faded, the state recorded many more instances.
