The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida stands in support of Courageous School Board Members throughout the State.
Plantation - The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida (DPCF) stands with all of the Board Members of School Boards throughout the state of Florida who voted in favor of following the medical community’s advice to reinstate mandatory masking in their local School Districts. We acknowledge and admire the courage it took to ignore the threats of Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Board of Education to make this decision. These critical decisions protect the lives of the children of Florida and their families.
To say that this situation is dire would be an understatement. Many school districts across our state have already opened and have done so without proper safety-- measures. The results have been horrifying--children in hospitals, classes, shut down, teachers quarantined, adding to an already terrible shortage that has plagued the state. How many children, teachers, support staff, bus drivers will suffer because of the horrendous and dictatorial policies of Ron Desantis?
The DPCF supports these Board Members against any retaliation by the Governor and will encourage President Biden to act, through the Federal Department of Education, to oversee this situation and to replace any funds that the state withholds from these brave districts. In addition, we will ask the Justice Department to investigate any acts of retaliation by the Governor against any School Board member who voted in favor of mandatory mask use.
These School Board Members are elected public servants. Their task is to provide a safe learning environment for all students within their district. The Florida Constitution requires a safe and secure school system. Any action to remove them for violating what is likely an unlawful Executive Order from the Governor would be nothing less than unconstitutional overreach by an authoritarian.
The DPCF stands with all of those who put our children’s lives and all of the remarkable individuals who work in our state's education system first. It is time to listen to science and not the dangerous political grandstanding of the current Governor.
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