OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Osceola County Public Schools will require students to wear masks for prekindergarten-8th grade students for 30 days starting on Monday.
Students will have the ability to get out of wearing a mask if they have written permission from their parents.
Masks will be optional for high school students.
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Several parents found out about the district’s mask mandate Wednesday morning as they walked their children to school.
Keisha Bacenet explained her daughter and niece have been wearing face masks since school started last week.
“I think it’s needed. Everyone needs to follow procedures and protocols just to keep everyone safe,” Bacenet said.
“There’s a lot of people that they seem like they don’t care. It’s like there’s nothing going on, so I think it’s a good idea to do that,” Amneris Leon said.
Leon’s son is in the sixth grade, and he was virtual last school year due to COVID-19.
The mandate does not apply to Osceola County high schools where masks will stay optional.
School officials said it is highly recommended all students wear masks when riding the school bus because social distancing is practical in that setting. The district also recommends any employee who is not vaccinated wear a mask.
Seminole County Public Schools report 16.7% of students have opted out of wearing masks in class.
Orange County also requires masks for students, but a parent can have their child opt-out of the policy.
Marion County has also placed a mask mandate with an opt-out option.
Meanwhile, the mask debate continues to heat up statewide.
Florida’s Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday to consider sanctions that include loss of funds, removal of school board members and a report to the state Legislature, which could take additional action for defying the governor’s order to provide an easy opt-out for parents who don’t want their children wearing masks.
During an emergency meeting, the board voted to direct state Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to “investigate” the actions of Alachua County and Broward County school officials.
In a letter to Florida district superintendents Friday, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona wrote that the department “stands with you” in enacting universal student mask policies despite state efforts to prohibit them.