Can you imagine 30 people in a room today without masks? The governor can. If those people are children.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who has repeatedly failed to act responsibly on the COVID-19 emergency — has come under intense fire for his executive order forbidding local governments from making mask mandates. This came after the Broward County School Board voted to require masks of employees and students when school resumes later this month. Now they may be backing off that position, even though home rule clearly gives local governments, including school boards, the authority.
Let’s hope the Miami-Dade School Board has the backbone to do the right thing when it meets Aug. 18 to decide the policy here. It will take courage.
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Because DeSantis has threatened to defund school systems that defy him. Yes, the guy who blasted the ‘defund the police’ movement has now started a defund schools narrative.
Then he convinced his Department of Education to change the rules for the Hope Scholarship, which was created to help kids who are being bullied in school, so parents could use the vouchers to move their kids to schools that don’t require masks. But not Catholic schools The Archdiocese of Miami announced on Friday that it would require masks of their students indoors.
I’m sure voters will be reminded of all this in 2022.
“The Pied Piper of COVID,” which is what Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber called the guv, makes for a really good mailer graphic.
“He’s like the Pied Piper, just leading everybody off a cliff right now, letting them know that they don’t have to like the CDC, they don’t have to wear masks, they can do whatever they want in the midst of an enormous pandemic – and Florida, by wide margins, is easily the worst state in the country,” Gelber told CNN, adding that he feels his city is now being blocked from taking measures by the state.
“We’re not allowed a mask edict now,” Gelber said. “We were one of the first cities to require it and the governor stopped allowing us to do it, then immediately we saw a surge across our county and state.
“I’m the mayor of a hospitality town. I think most people coming here would rather be in a place that they feel safer than a place that they feel like they may be getting the virus,” he said.
By the bags under his eyes, it looks like Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has been losing sleep over this. Or maybe it’s all the television interviews, national and local.
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“Our decision is not going to be rushed. Our decisions is going to be based on science and the expert advice of our health and medical expert task force,” he told WPLG Local 10’s Glenna Milberg and Michael Putney on This Week in South Florida Sunday. That task force will report on Aug. 16, two days before the next school board meeting.
“That said… the options available to us have been greatly reduced,” Carvalho said. “We hope to negotiate a set of protocols and protective measures that guarantee two things that I don’t believe are mutually exclusive. umber one the health and well being and the protective school environment, side by side with some degree of parental choice.”
Ladra’s money is on masks. Read on.
“We have been a system that is absolute advised and directed and oriented by scientific principals and medical expertise rather than political pronouncements,” Carvalho said, adding that he would ask his staff and faculty to ignore the “loud disconnected voices and continue to embrace the advice of those who have the best interests of students at heart.”
We’re lucky, he added. We have more time to make the decision and bring down the numbers. Miami-Dade is the last county school system in the state to start the school year, on Aug. 23. Broward and Palm Beach open one or two weeks earlier. The rest of the state starts school tomorrow.
With no mask mandates.
Know more: Miami-Dade activist tells Ron DeSantis, Carlos Gimenez off on COVID19 fail
Everybody can see this ridiculous stance for what it is: political posturing to go after the Donald Trump voters in Florida by someone who has a competitive re-election next year and nationwide by someone who thinks he’s in the running for the Republican primary in 2024. In other words, DeathSantis, as he has been branded, is selling out his constituents for his ambition.
But this could backfire. Not only has the national media been mostly negative, but Florida parents seem to overwhelming want mask mandates at schools. CNN also reported two lawsuits against the governor on this.
The first is by a Broward father of three children, including one under 12 — too young to get a vaccine — with a history of asthma. The second is on behalf a group of parents from at least five counties, including Miami-Dade.
It would actually be politically expedient for DeSantis at this point to back off.
And he shouldn’t wait until an elementary school has to be shut down because of a COVID-19 outbreak — which we all know is going to happen — or, God forbid, a student dies. DeSantis can’t recover from that.
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John Wyner,
I agree. Don’t politicize public health, which means government don’t meddle into our lives and try to tell the people what to do!
We are not Cuba!
During a pandemic, the best politics is no politics. Donald Trump failed to adhere to this and lost reelection. Ron DeSantis is making the same mistake. The majority of the public, both Democrats and Republicans, care about public health and don’t want it politicized.
We’re sixty years reader of The Miami Herald, and The Miami News; no bull…
” continue texting while driving ”
Lol that was good but interestingly enough many in Miami do not know it is illegal including the police who never enforce it even as drivers do it right in front of them .
My parents live further north in the state and my Aunt / Uncle just went up there for few days to take my grandmother to visit , my mother made it very clear to my Aunt not to text while driving there because the police there do not ignore it .
Isn’t it amusing on how Democrats are trying to interfere with a person’s right of choice to wear or not to wear a mask under the guise of protecting lives, especially our children, but yet takes the position you can’t interfere with a woman’s choice on having an abortion to kill an innocent life.
Democrats, why all of a sudden do you care about the lives of our innocent children, if this is inconsistent with your political position of a woman’s (a person) right of choice?
Hmmm, don’t be coming and knocking on my door now to tell me what I should do. My body is body! I have the right to chose!
NO mask in school! Masks are as useless a Joe Robinette Biden!
A Little Sanity… did you pick up your prescription today? Eckerd Pharmacy called!
Lets have some fun…shall we?
The same science that found magically that man can give birth? the same science that found magically that babies in the belly are NOT human? the same science who tells you “genius” that the mask does not protect you from the virus? the same science that found magically that vaccine works but you must wear a mask? of course I am stupid! It is a trade us blacks can’t rid off!!! That is why I love white people!!! they are soooo smart:)
NO MASK! NO VACCINE! LONG LIVE GOVERNOR DE SANTIS!
MASKS ARE AS USELESS AS JOE BIDEN!
my number is 305 722 2828, if you want to continue being schooled! The first second… is free!
Mike;
As a GOP since 1967, I agree with your comment on parental rights except that we have many instances where they are usurped:
Requiring use of children seat in cars and not just any seat but a certified one;
Requiring parents not to leave children in a closed car for any reason or length of time; etc.
Thus, there are times when Society/community knows best and all of us must conform – requiring masks in a school environment seems to fall in that category!
Any GOP that supports no masks for children because of DeSantis is as foolish as he is stupid/cynical!!
These comments escalated quickly and highlight the problem: the politicization of Covid. Republicans are not out to kill you and Democrats are not evil communists. Political discourse in this country has been reduced to sound bytes and insults because people cannot form persuasive arguments or be rational.
Parental rights are absolutely a legitimate issue for the Governor to address and is frankly a very savvy strategy for presenting his views on masks. The problem with many public advocates against strong parental rights is that they hold extremist views in other subjects. To weaken parental rights on the issue of masks opens the door to a weakening in other areas like gender ideology for kindergarteners and abortions for minors without parental notification, and school choice.
I disagree with the Governor’s position relating to Covid because these decisions should be handled at a local level, the level of government closest to the people affected. My view is actually a traditional, conservative view. Its ironic that the more non-conservative view is to have a strong, centralized government further removed from the affected populations passing rules by fiat. I also disagree because the scientific evidence generally points to the fact that masks work. This has also been my experience after having been in direct contact with Covid positive people where others become ill and I did not because I had a mask on. I also don’t think it is that onerous to wear a mask as part of a school uniform. It may be uncomfortable but it is not dangerous. The studies that said it was dangerous have been largely debunked.
Science trumps political/religious dogma each & every day!!
Vaccinate everyone who can be[12+ age] and we protect all below 12 years old who thus far do not have a vaccine. Add a mask in indoor setting for those under 12 and that is BEST FOR ALL!!
Those naysayers please stop using your seatbelt, continue texting while driving, etc. That way, Covid 19 will not get you, your stubbornness /stupidity will!!
Good thing you’re not one of the elected tyrants and would be dictators who think they have the right to override parents decisions for their children’s health and well being, and our Constitutional rights. We all know masks do nothing but harm, and are deadly for all, but most especially for children’s developing brains, learning and social skillsets, and are the equivalent of child abuse. Gov. De Santis is a hero for standing up for parental and children. You want to mask your child. Go ahead. Others have the same right. Your rights do not trump others rights. EVER. What a shameful article. BOO. Don’t be a tool.
Mayra, there is a reason why you were not elected to the Coral Gables commission. Science and common sense must outweigh stupidity and political ambition. I choose to listen to the credible arguments of doctors and scientists around the world who have nothing to gain from this tragedy, rather than those who use it to try and foster their own ambitions and pocketbooks.
There should be more female Democratic candidates. Florida needs more female elected officials. DeSantis and other Republicans will kill us all.
No mask in schools! Masks are are useless as Joe Biden!