Agriculture Commissioner and Democratic candidate for Governor in 2022, Nikki Fried, held her second press conference of the day Monday to criticize DeSantis’ school mask policy.
Fried took an ironic swipe at the conservative Governor saying of his new policy she is “deeply troubled by the government overreach.”
DeSantis’ recent executive order prohibits schools from requiring masks and threatens to defund school districts that defy his order.
The policy has resulted in a patchwork of workarounds from school districts eager to follow U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines that advise indoor masking for all teachers and students regardless of vaccination status. As school start dates near, many schools have made last-minute decisions to require masks but are allowing opt-outs if parents fill out paperwork.
Fried accused DeSantis of creating “chaos, confusion and panic across our entire state.”
“School boards should have the authority to make decisions that are in the best interest of their students and teachers without facing political retribution. Period.” Fried said.
Florida's governor is jeopardizing the health of our children to score partisan political points. But local school districts are fighting back. And they have our support. Watch today's COVID-19 briefing. pic.twitter.com/keyhIPpAvo
— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) August 9, 2021
At the press conference Fried was joined by Wakulla County School Board Member Verna Brock. Brock said decisions about school mask mandates should be made on a case-by-case basis by local elected officials.
“I think without a doubt the Governor should reconsider his stance and allow these different communities to make the choices they feel are most effective for their community,” Brock said.
The continued fight over masks in schools comes amid unpleasant headlines of record-breaking COVID-19 cases in the Sunshine State including thousands of school-aged children. Health department data from July 10 through Aug. 5 showed an additional 13,596 COVID-19 cases among children under 12, an age bracket unable to get vaccinated.
Recent reports have shown Florida has the highest rate of kids hospitalized with COVID-19 in the country.
“The Governor’s actions and (the) numbers now show Florida is failing our children,” Fried said.
Fried said her office is in “constant communication with the White House” and made a plea to local governments to contact her office if they need any resources such as testing, pop-up vaccination locations or hospital resources.
By offering the help, Fried continued a pattern of positioning herself — the only statewide elected Democrat in Florida — as a foil to DeSantis and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This article first appeared at Florida Politics.
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This article appears in Aug 5-11, 2021.