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News: state and local briefs
NEWS
ILLUSTRATION BY CLAY JONES
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UNMASKED, UN-VAXXED
Florida’s new surgeon general comes out swinging, claiming that masks cause ‘demonstrable and considerable’ harm to children
BY RYAN DAILEY, NSF
The unrelenting rumbling over coronavirus mitigation measures in schools until this week has centered on student mask requirements.
But the fight may soon be waged in a new arena, with a new key player in the state’s corner.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has named physician and researcher Joseph Ladapo as the state’s new surgeon general. Ladapo’s debut in Florida showcased his strong allegiance to DeSantis’ policies.
During his introductory press conference, the doctor called for being “done with fear” amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 51,000 of the state’s residents.
And on his second day on the job, Ladapo signed off on a plan that adds decisions about COVID-19 quarantines to the list of education issues the DeSantis administration wants families — not schools — to control.
The Florida Department of Health issued a revised rule last week that gives parents more authority to decide whether children should stay at home after being exposed to people who have COVID-19.
The revamped rule says schools “shall allow parents or legal guardians the authority to choose how their child receives education after having direct contact with an individual that is positive for COVID-19.”
The Aug. 6 version of the rule said students who have contact with people positive for COVID-19 “should not attend school, school-sponsored activities, or be on school property” until they receive negative COVID-19 tests four days after the last exposure or are asymptomatic and wait seven days after their last exposure.
“There’s not a single high-quality study that shows that any child has ever benefited from forced quarantining policies, but we have seen demonstrable and considerable harm to children. It’s important to respect the rights of parents,” Ladapo argued in a statement released by the governor’s office.
The health department’s revised rule also tightened the state’s directive to districts about masks in schools. The revised rule says that opting out of mask requirements is “at the parent or legal guardian’s sole discretion.”
The Democratic National Committee quickly blasted DeSantis’ choice of Ladapo, painting the new secretary of the Florida Department of Health as a threat to coronavirus mitigation measures in the state.
“Instead of going with a trusted advocate for science, DeSantis is once again playing games with peoples’ lives by appointing someone who has trafficked antivaccine and anti-mask rhetoric,” Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Adonna Biel said in a statement.
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¶ Picking up the tab
While the state takes aim at school quarantines, the fight over student mask requirements continues nearly a month and a half into the school year — with President Joe Biden’s administration ratcheting up its offense this week.
The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday that it has provided nearly $150,000 to the Alachua County School Board to cover a state penalty targeting board members’ salaries. The state has withheld two months’ worth of pay for the four Alachua board members who voted for a mask requirement “so far,” according to a statement from the school district.
“We should be thanking districts for using proven strategies that will keep schools open and safe, not punishing them,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a prepared statement.
And with the federal government’s backing, Alachua school officials are poised to keep the mask requirement in place despite the state’s revised rule on face coverings for students. “At this point, we are maintaining our current protocols,” district spokeswoman Jackie Johnson told the News Service of Florida. —RD
¶ Drawing lines
The once-a-decade redistricting process kicked off in the Capitol last week. In addition to redrawing 40 state Senate and 120 state House districts, lawmakers also will map out 28 congressional districts, including an additional seat that Florida picked up because of its growing population.
Senate Reapportionment Chairman Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, says he wants the Florida Legislature to avoid the “shadow process” that occurred in 2012 when lawmakers drew new political district lines that were rejected by the Florida Supreme Court.
Last Wednesday, the House and Senate announced the launch of a joint redistricting website that will allow Floridians to craft and submit proposals for new districts. The new website — floridaredistricting.gov — is expected to allow people to draw proposed districts down to census-block levels.
However, the process this go-round might not include public hearings that were held across the state a decade ago, in part because of a delay in the release of necessary census data due to the COVID-19 pandemic. —RD
¶ Feathers fly
Sen. Jeff Brandes wants a new state bird. The St. Petersburg Republican filed a proposal for the 2022 legislative session that would rescind the designation of the mockingbird as the state bird, a perch it has held since 1927.
In tweets Thursday and Friday defending his proposal, Brandes said the state should have a bird that people identify as being from Florida.
“I should mention that the mockingbird is also the state bird of 4 other states,” Brandes tweeted (ha). “The mockingbird apparently had a very good lobbyist.” Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas also claim the mockingbird as their state bird.
On the Department of State website, the mockingbird, or Mimus polyglottos, is described as a “year-round Florida resident,” that is “helpful to humans because it usually feeds on insects and weed seeds” and is “known for its fierce defense of the family nest.” The bird is also described as a “superb songbird” and mimic. “Its own song has a pleasant lilting sound and is, at times, both varied and repetitive,” the website says. “Often, the mockingbird sings all night long, especially under bright springtime moonlight.”
Brandes’ proposal does not suggest a replacement bird. Florida has a range of state symbols, including a stone, Agatized Coral; a beverage, orange juice; an animal, the Florida panther; a marine mammal, the manatee; and a reptile, the American alligator. —RD
