Education Dept. Will Reimburse Florida District That Had Funds Held Over Mask Mandate

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Miguel Cardona, U.S. secretary of education, speaks during a news conference at the White House on Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021.





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Florida Is Blocking Money From 2 School Districts Over Mask Mandates, Defying A Judge



Coronavirus Updates
Some Florida School Districts Will Require Masks. The Governor May Cut Their Funding

At the end of July, DeSantis signed an executive order banning school districts from requiring that students wear masks. Nevertheless, several school boards voted to require masking in defiance of the ban. In response, the state moved to penalize two of those districts, in Alachua and Broward counties, by withholding state funding equivalent to the monthly salaries of the school board members who voted to defy the mask mandate ban.

So far, the state has withheld two months of board member salaries.

Alachua County Public Schools Superintendent Carlee Simon learned this morning, in a phone call with Cardona, that Alachua would be the first district to receive a Project SAFE grant. In a statement Simon expressed gratitude for the funding «but I’m even more grateful for [the Biden administration’s] continued support and encouragement of our efforts to protect students and staff and to keep our schools open for in-person learning.

«With these grants, we’re making sure schools and communities across the country that are committed to safely returning to in-person learning know that we have their backs, Cardona said in a statement.