Two Central Florida school boards decided Tuesday not to impose strict mask mandates to mitigate COVID-19 like other school districts in Florida. 

Several school boards are revisiting the issue after a judge recently ruled Gov. Ron DeSantis did not have the legal authority to ban school boards from enacting mask mandates that do not allow parents to opt out.

In Seminole County, the school board voted to keep its current mandate, which allows parents to opt their children out of school mask rules, in keeping with DeSantis' order.

The decision came in a day-long emergency meeting, packed with masked and unmasked residents, which at times got heated. 

Meanwhile, the Lake County school board decided to postpone a vote on adding a mask mandate for schools with at least a 5% COVID-19 positivity rate. Parents would have been allowed to opt out. Lake County will vote on the plan on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at the county commission chambers in Tavares.

The school board in Orange County decided to make their mask mandate mandatory, only allowing parents to opt their children out with a note from a doctor. 

A parent there says her high schooler caught COVID-19 despite regular mask-wearing at school. 

“I know there’s always going to be people against it and people for it,” said Brandy Walls. “I know people want to give their kids the right and say he you know what – I don’t know if they want to do it for the right of the parent or the right of the kids.  If you’re thinking about your kids first, masks should be mandatory.”

Orange County and other districts that have passed stricter mask mandates are facing action by the state education commission that— despite that judge’s ruling last week — are threatening to withhold the salaries of school board members. 

But in a letter, Orange County school administrators responded to the state on Wednesday saying they are taking the actions they believe are necessary due to the high number of coronavirus cases in their community.

Meanwhile, Brevard County's school board approved a similar mask order on Monday, requiring a doctor's note, as did Volusia County's school board on Tuesday.

Osceola County's school board chose Monday to keep its current mask mandate, allowing for parent opt-outs.