South Florida parents will be able to choose whether their children wear masks at schools, possibly ending a three-month, high-profile feud between school districts and the state. Citing a sharp decline in COVID-19 numbers, the Broward School Board voted 7-1 on Tuesday evening to make masks “strongly encouraged” but not required for all students. The change would take effect Nov. 20, but because that’s the Saturday before a weeklong Thanksgiving break, most students would be able to start going mask-free on Nov. 29.
Broward is the latest of the South Florida school districts to loosen their mask requirements just days after a judge on Friday ruled that Florida’s order banning mask mandates was permissible. “The science shows we’re at a place we can relax the masks,” Board member Debbi Hixon said.
On Monday, masks became optionalin Palm Beach County schools. Roxana Rivera, a parent in Wellington, said her two sons will continue to wear masks while in school at Polo Park Middle School. Her oldest son is fully vaccinated, but her 11-year-old son won’t get his first dose until next week.
Read more at our news partner the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
