ST. PETERSBURG — Today Leon County Judge John C. Cooper ruled against Governor Ron DeSantis’ executive order banning mask mandates in local schools. This ruling means that local schools can indeed utilize mask mandates. The lawsuit was brought by a group of Florida parents concerned about the health and safety of their children in the classroom as the more contagious Delta variant continues to sicken kids and those under 12 are still not eligible for the vaccines. Dr. Mona Vishin Mangat, an immunologist in St. Petersburg and Board Member for the Committee to Protect Health Care, and who also testified as an expert witness on behalf of the plaintiffs, released the following statement in response to the ruling:
“This ruling is a much-needed win for Florida’s children and families, and should be a signal to Governor DeSantis that his top-down orders against local public health measures are both dangerous and unconstitutional. As both a physician and a mother of school-aged children, it is an immense relief to know that local school leaders can move forward with mask protections without being punished by Gov. DeSantis. Like Judge Cooper said, the vast majority of health experts recommend universal masking in schools to protect the health of students, so this lawsuit could have been avoided had Gov. DeSantis simply chosen to put the safety of our kids ahead of his political pandering. It pains me to think of the illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths of children that could also have been avoided had Gov. DeSantis prioritized them in the first place. I sincerely hope that Gov. DeSantis will finally now begin listening to doctors on the ground and following the science to protect Florida’s children.”
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