DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Changes are coming to the mask policy at Volusia County Public Schools after district leaders discussed the issue during a Tuesday night meeting.
After a 3-2 vote, parents can now sign a form so their child can opt-out from wearing a mask in class.
The form can be found at this link.
On Sept. 1, the board voted 3-2 passing a face-covering policy that went into effect Sept. 7. The mandate required students from kindergarten through 12th grade to wear masks until Oct. 15, although students could have opt-out with a note from a doctor.
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The board was scheduled to discuss its new mask policy last week, but the emergency meeting was canceled to allow time to wait for a decision about Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates in schools. An appellate court has since ruled the ban can stay in place while a lawsuit challenging the executive order works its way through the appeals process.
The mask discussion comes after state officials have threatened to withhold funding from districts with face covering policies that don’t give students the ability to opt-out with a parental note.
At least two school districts, Alachua and Broward, have faced financial consequences as a result of mask mandates when the state department of education withheld its school board salaries. Orange County has also received a warning from Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran over its mask mandate.