Does the DeSantis order affect masks in Manatee schools? No, but changes may be coming

Do students need to still wear masks in Manatee County’s public schools?

The short answer: Yes. For now.

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order to end local COVID-19 mandates on Monday evening, confusing school districts throughout Florida. And though the state education department has since clarified that schools are not affected, the Manatee County School Board was already planning a vote on May 25 to possibly end the mask requirement for students and employees.

DeSantis said “no county or municipality” can enact emergency orders that impose COVID-19 restrictions on people or businesses. His order — which applies to local governments and not private businesses — precedes a new law that takes effect on July 1, limiting the ability of local governments to issue mask mandates or other measures.

Under the Manatee County School Board’s current policy, district students and employees are expected to wear a mask in their classrooms and school buses. However, masks can be removed during breakfast, lunch, recess and physical education classes, assuming social distancing is in place.

Shortly after the governor issued his order Monday, Manatee County schools sent a message to families by phone and email, noting that students and employees would still have to follow a mask mandate and other safety measures when they returned on Tuesday.

“While the School District of Manatee County seeks legal clarification on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order issued today, School Board policy 8450 regarding ‘Control of Casual-Contact Communicable Diseases’ remains in effect,” the message read.

Florida schools received clarification from the Florida Department of Education hours later. The governor signed two executive orders, one to immediately end “all remaining local government mandates and restrictions,” along with an order to invalidate COVID-related orders after July 1, when the new law takes effect.

Neither executive order will affect district policies in the current school year, said Jacob Oliva, chancellor for the Division of Public Schools.

The immediate order “only impacts city and county governments, and does NOT impact school districts and individual schools,” Oliva said in an email to Florida’s superintendents.

Manatee County schools are likely to continue their mask mandate through the current semester. Other Florida public school districts also will keep their mask mandates, including the Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach County school districts.

And though the governor’s recent orders appear to have no sway in local classrooms, the Manatee School Board’s mask mandate may be on its way out anyway. Board members have considered a plan to end their mask mandate in the 2021-22 school year, which begins in August.

During a meeting last week, a majority of board members supported the plan to end the mandate by early June, when most students are gone for the summer.

Under the draft plan, which still requires a board vote, Superintendent Cynthia Saunders could also institute a temporary mask policy if the seven-day positivity rate hits 8% or higher in Manatee County. Joining the School Board’s discussion last week, the county’s health officer, Dr. Jennifer Bencie, said the last seven-day rate was 6.49%.

If the change is approved, the superintendent could also reinstate the mandate if she identifies a high concentration of COVID-19 cases “in a specific school or group setting like athletics/club activities.”

The school district has discovered at least 613 positive COVID-19 cases and 7,954 exposures at schools and district offices in the current semester. In past statements, School Board member Scott Hopes and Chairman Charlie Kennedy credited the mask mandate for preventing school shutdowns and large outbreaks on campuses.

Local and statewide conversations are now shifting with the availability of three COVID-19 vaccines, though none were available to children younger than 16 as of Tuesday. Locally, more than 170,000 people — or about 42% of Manatee County’s population — have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Hopes, who has master of public health degree in epidemiology, was absent from the board’s in-person mask discussion last Friday, while Kennedy called the draft 2021-22 plan a good “middle ground” that ties mask use to the fluctuating conditions in Manatee County.

Manatee’s School Board will continue the discussion and vote on a final plan before the end of May.

THE MASK DISCUSSION

What: The School Board will discuss and vote on a mask policy for the upcoming 2021-22 school year, among other agenda items.

When and where: The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. on May 25. Board meetings are held at the School Support Center, 215 Manatee Ave. W. in Bradenton.

Restrictions: In-person guests must wear a mask and undergo a temperature check.

How to watch on TV: Anyone can also watch the meetings by visiting the Manatee Schools Television website, mstv.us, and by tuning into Spectrum Channel 646 or Frontier Channel 39.

Public Comment: To submit a public comment in advance, email public_comment@manateeschools.net.

This story was originally published May 4, 2021 at 1:43 PM.