Florida Schools’ Covid-19 Mask Mandates Upheld by Judge

A Florida judge said school districts could impose mask mandates and that Gov. Ron DeSantis had overstepped his authority when he banned such rules. Judge John Cooper of the Second Judicial District in Tallahassee sided with parents of school children who had challenged a July executive order by Mr. DeSantis and a subsequent state rule that forbid school districts from implementing mask requirements that don’t allow parents to opt out their children. In an oral ruling Friday, Judge Cooper said the defendants, including the governor and the state Department of Education, improperly sought to draw authority for their actions from a state law enacted earlier this year, dubbed the parents’ bill of rights, which aimed to protect parents’ ability to make decisions regarding their children’s education and health.