VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A week after a mask mandate went into effect, the Volusia County School Board voted Tuesday to gut its main provision.
What You Need To Know
- Parents can now opt-out with a simple note
- The district will allow parents to use an online portal — which will be available starting at 3 a.m. Wednesday — to submit their note
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The district is one of many across the state, including Orange County, to have made masks mandatory as COVID-19 spreads at record levels in local communities.
The Volusia County mandate went into effect on Sept. 7, and only allowed parents to opt their child out with a doctor's note.
On Tuesday, the School Board voted 3-2 to add the option for an unrestricted parental opt-out that can be submitted as a simple note.
While Volusia County School Board members ultimately made the revision to the mask mandate, there were some mixed feelings about the move.
In the end, school board members said that even if they think requiring masks is a good idea, they believe their hands are tied legally with a recent judge's ruling that allowed Gov. Ron DeSantis's ban on school mask mandates to stand.
Board members also questioned the integrity of some students' medical exemptions.
This is a developing story and more information will be posted as it becomes available.
Parents can still medically exempt their students from wearing a mask, but they can now simply write a note through an online system that school administrators say will be available beginning at 3am Wednesday morning.@MyNews13 #News13Volusia
— Jeff Allen (@News13JeffAllen) September 15, 2021