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SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – The Seminole County School Board is holding an emergency meeting Thursday morning to discuss mask mandates.
The district has a mandate in place for employees and students unless they have permission from a parent or guardian to opt out of the policy. With the emergency meeting, the school board is considering stronger rules as COVID-19 case numbers remain high.
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Seminole County Public Schools announced a 30-day mask mandate that began for students on Aug. 10.
Ahead of the meeting Thursday, parents and guardians arrived to speak during public comment either for or against masks in schools.
The school board members heard from medical professionals, including Dr. Adriana Cadilla with Nemours, who explained the impact schools can have on the coronavirus situation within a community.
Schools are a reflection of a community, Cadilla explained, as community cases peak so do cases within students and staff. Cadilla also explained the current Centers for Disease Control Prevention guidelines include universal masking for students and staff due to the highly contagious delta variant.
Recently, the Children’s Hospital Association signed a letter saying the organization’s hospitals are reporting an increased volume of capacity, putting hospitals at “unprecedented threat.”
Cadilla said universal masking is proven to prevent transmission and has no side effects. There are few reasons why someone would be unable to wear a mask, she said.
The parking lot at @SCPSInfo is PACKED!! We’re not going inside the board chambers for safety reasons, but I’m anticipating public comment will take a while. Already hearing some outcries at the beginning of the meeting @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/vYg50rUAMG
— Amanda Castro (@AmandaNews6) September 2, 2021
Seminole County Department of Health Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Kevin Baker presented the latest COVID-19 numbers, saying Florida’s peak positivity rate of 22.9% was Aug. 20 and Florida is seeing an increase in transmission.
In the first three weeks of the school year, there were 1,149 students who tested positive compared to last school year with 29 overall cases, Baker said.
Approximately, 17% of Seminole County students have opted out of the mask mandate.
.@SCPSInfo looking at positive student COVID cases during the first 3 weeks of school this year vs last year:
20/21: 29
21/22: 1149For teachers & staff positive COVID cases:
20/21: 12
— Amanda Castro (@AmandaNews6) September 2, 2021
21/22: 144 pic.twitter.com/MEMcVQavI2
Board members agreed to hear more than the allotted 30 minutes of public comment. The crowd at the meeting became unsettled at times, applauding and cheering for some commenters. Seminole County deputies were present and at one point escorted a member of the public out.
The first public commenter was the mother of a Winter Springs High School senior. She said masks don’t impact her ability to learn.
“This is absolutely ridiculous because we’re putting children’s safety at risk,” she said. “We have an obligation to protect our children.”
The mother of a child with autism said her son requires facial clues to learn and implied masks “torture” his sensory issues. She asked the board not to impose a mask mandate and ended her comment to the sound of applause.
Mother of Oviedo HS senior says her son became moody, depressed & got migraines last year because he wore a mask. Now mask free this year and he loves school. “Using fear of a universal mask mandate is wrong.” @news6wkmg
— Amanda Castro (@AmandaNews6) September 2, 2021
Lake County Schools is also expected to discuss its mask policy on Thursday.
Several Central Florida school districts have been reconsidering mask policies following a judge’s ruling on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order banning mandates, saying the governor overstepped his authority and school districts can legally require students to wear masks to prevent the spread of the virus.
The Florida Department of Education has threatened to withhold funding from two school districts requiring a medical note for students to opt out of its policies. The department has also launched an investigation into Orange County Public Schools after the school district issued a mask mandate requiring a doctor’s note to opt out.
Seminole County’s emergency meeting is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.
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September 02, 2021 at 06:52PM
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WATCH LIVE: Seminole County School Board holds emergency meeting to discuss mask mandates - WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando
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