Orange, Seminole schools to return with masks requirements for students

Orange and Seminole County schools will return to in-person schooling tomorrow with mask requirements in place for students.

Both school districts announced that they would require students to wear face masks for the first 30 days of school, which begins on Tuesday, August 10 in both counties. Parents in both districts can opt their child out of the requirement, but they must send in a written note with their signature asking to be exempt on the first day.

Orange County Superintendent Barbara Jenkins announced the decision in a recorded message that was sent out to parents.

“Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our students and employees and after consultation with our health experts and school board members I am implementing required face masks for all students unless the parent chooses to opt-out of the requirement,” she said in the message.

The state of Florida is technically under an executive order barring face mask mandates in public schools. Governor Ron DeSantis signed the order, which gives Department of Education officials the ability to pull funding from schools that mandate the wearing of masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In spite of this, many districts have moved forward with masking rules for the safety of their students and faculty. In response, the DOE passed rules classifying mask requirements as harassment, thereby opening private school vouchers for anti-bullying programs to anti-mask families.

Florida saw more than 130,000 new cases of coronavirus last week, with deaths and hospitalizations also continuing to climb.

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