So how is that going with your no-mask mandate for schools, Governor wannabe-president Ron DeSantis (R)? There were right at 252,000 cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. last week alone. And that was just among children, according to The American Academy of Pediatrics. There were about 750,000 cases among children added last month. That showed how dramatically the total number of cases is increasing exponentially, because the total of all child COVID-19 cases reported is 5,049,465. Now, children are 15+ percent of all cases. Who is going to save them?
Florida Circuit Court Judge John C. Cooper just made a huge difference. Wednesday, he ruled that mask policies were allowed in Florida schools. Judge Cooper actually overruled his own four-day-old order blocking schools from mandating against the state’s and DeSantis’ own mandate. In fact, the judge also killed the governor’s sanctions withholding payroll funds “for the superintendents and the specific number of school board members who voted in favor of the mask policies.” Florida’s Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran implemented the governor’s sanctions.
He heard arguments in the trial. There was also a summary of the evidence value. What made the difference was that the court believed that DeSantis presented a danger to his state’s children. They cannot yet be vaccinated before the age of 12. The judge also considered how isolation from school affected them.
The Florida Department of Health has stopped providing daily updates. So the above numbers reflect what the Department of Health reported through June 2, 2021.
After Cooper’s decision came down, a DeSantis spokesperson sent WFLA station this response:
‘No surprise here that Judge Cooper concluded that he is unlikely to be overruled on appeal. We disagree. Today we plan to file our emergency motion to reinstate the stay, and we anticipate the appellate court will rule quickly, much like during the school re-opening case last year.’
Judge Cooper said, according to WFLA:
‘It’s undisputed that in Florida we are in the midst of a COVID pandemic. Based on the evidence I’ve heard, there’s no harm to the state if the stay is set aside…there’s nothing in my final judgment that prevents the defendants from enforcing the full Bill of Rights, I’m just saying you can’t just enforce part of it. I see no harm to the state in setting aside the stay.’
At the very same time, DeSantis was telling reporters during a news conference that he felt the judge would keep the governor’s stay in place, the Judge Cooper moved in on him:
‘Cooper set aside the stay and directed Charles Gallagher, representing the plaintiffs in Scott vs. DeSantis, to draft the order, to take effect immediately and end the state ban on mask mandates in schools.’
Cooper’s written order was released on Friday setting aside the stay he verbally allowed earlier. Once the written version was published, it would go into effect.
The full judge’s finding is available on WFLA’s page.
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