BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Brevard County school board member Jennifer Jenkins is calling for the topic of masks to be discussed at Thursday night’s meeting. She says many parents have reached out to her wanting masks to be mandatory once again.
“No matter where you fall on this issue. It’s our responsibility as board members to have this conversation,” Jenkins said. “Probably 99% of the emails I was receiving were in favor of bringing back a mask mandate, parents that were concerned, residents that were concerned about the spread.”
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Jenkins said she believes masks should be required at schools for staff and for students in 3rd grade and higher. The school board voted back in May to make masks optional in schools.
Kyle Savage works for the Brevard Federation of Teachers. He’s also a parent of two boys and a former teacher.
“Unfortunately, COVID is coming back again and we’re concerned about it and our main goal is to keep everyone safe in the classroom. Our teachers, students,” Savage said.
Meantime, state representative Randy Fine, who has a child in Brevard county schools, posted on Facebook calling parents to speak out against any possible mask mandate.
“I just want to use my platform to let parents know that yet again these local politicians are considering stripping their rights and they should speak up,” Fine said.
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The CDC said children and adolescents can get sick with COVID-19 and can spread the virus to others. And for perspective, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, among the 6,449 people in the hospital last Saturday in Florida for COVID, 80 were children.
The first day of school for first to 12th graders in Brevard County is Tuesday, Aug. 10.
The first day of school for all kindergartners is Aug. 13. Brevard County school district officials said kindergartners will go in one day that week — Aug.10, 11 or 12 — for testing. Parents should make appointments through the school.
Pre-K students begin Aug. 17.