TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Friday said he is “deeply concerned” that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is threatening to levy financial penalties against school districts that impose mask mandates, and that federal relief funds could be used to level out any potential sanctions against districts.
“I want you to know that the U.S. Department of Education stands with you,” Cardona wrote in a letter to the Florida Association of School Administrators.
Cardona also sent a letter to DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran on Friday to say he was “deeply concerned” about the administration’s recent actions to prevent school districts from imposing mask mandates and that the U.S. Department of Education intends to step in by allowing school districts to use federal relief funds to compensate for any financial penalties.
“In other words, any threat by Florida to withhold salaries from superintendents and school board members who are working to protect students and educators (or to levy other financial penalties) can be addressed using ESSER funds at the sole and complete discretion of Florida school districts,” Cardona said.
As of Friday, Broward County Public Schools and Alachua County Public Schools are defying a state order that says district must allow parents to opt-out of mask mandates. The districts are requiring a doctor’s order to opt out of the masking requirement.
In response to the positions of Broward and Alachua, the Florida Department of Education on Friday called an emergency meeting for Tuesday to discuss potential sanctions against the districts. DeSantis’ spokeswoman, Taryn Fenske, told the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times the meeting is an indication that the administration intends to follow through with its threat to withhold hundreds of thousands of dollars in funds from the districts.
The governor’s office on Monday said the financial consequences for noncompliant districts would be “narrowly tailored to address the offense committed” and that “children and teachers will not be punished or face adverse consequences for the decisions made by certain school board members and/or superintendents.”
DeSantis’ press secretary, Christina Pushaw, then said that sanctions would only apply to the salaries of superintendents and school board members, though she later acknowledged the state can’t legally take away their pay. Pushaw added that it was the governor’s position that “activist” school board members should cut their own pay if the state follows through with sanctions for their district.
Pushaw said “it is possible that the officials who are violating the law could decide to take funding from other needs in their own district, in order to pay themselves salaries.”
“It wouldn’t be fair to the students, but it would technically be possible,” Pushaw said.
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