RULES SCHMULES

Gov. DeSantis Will Let Parents Undermine School Mask Orders

He plans to sign an executive order that will let families decide whether the kids wear masks—no matter what the schools say.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he plans to issue an executive order that will let parents decide if their kids wear a mask in school—even if the schools have mask mandates in place. DeSantis’ undermining of school-based precautions comes as the Delta variant surges in the state, and across much of the country. The CDC has recommended that everyone in schools mask up, regardless of vaccination status, but the Republican governor—who is not a scientist or doctor—declared Friday that would be a “mistake.” And even though COVID has proven to be an unpredictable adversary, DeSantis has no qualms about making blanket statements like this one: “In Florida, there will be no lockdowns, there will be no school closures, there will be no restrictions and no mandates in the state of Florida.”