Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has been vocal concerning mask mandates in schools. The battle between the Governor and public schools has been nothing less than "public," and has received responses ranging from support, criticism, disappointment and has caused Floridians to take on activist roles. GOP Lawmakers in the House have also voiced their support, and one proponent is Florida Rep. Kat Cammack (R).
Joined by 6 lawmakers in directing a letter to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Programs at the Department of Education, Cammack and others urged “the Biden Administration and the Department of Education to end their retaliation against Florida and get back to its mandate: educating American students.”
As stated in the letter, the Biden Administration ordered “enforcement actions” be directed at “the Florida Department of Education for its decision to limit state education funding to the school boards of Alachua County and Broward County.” The lawmakers express disappointment at the Department of Education, saying that it “is attempting to further politicize school funding in order to subsidize the salaries of school board officials who directly defied the Governor’s orders prohibiting mask mandates in the state.”
When it comes to the funds that have been provided, the lawmakers argue that “not only have the funds for these Florida counties been misappropriated but the federal Department of Education cannot be used as a political tool to punish decisions that are clearly under the state of Florida’s purview.”
Although the Governor has been a vocal critic of students being subjected to a mask mandate while attending school, Florida judges have pushed back against the Governor’s wishes and orders. The Governor’s stance on the COVID-19 pandemic has also garnered criticism from gubernatorial candidates that are vying to unseat DeSantis.
Joining Rep. Cammack in signing the letter are Florida Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R), Byron Donalds (R), Scott Franklin (R), Bill Posey (R), Greg Steube (R) and Daniel Webster (R).
