ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis' promise to pull the salaries of school district officials who enact mask mandates is not sitting well with Florida Democrats.
Florida Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book and her Caucus leadership team announced plans to launch a GoFundMe to pay public education leaders in those districts. Sen. Book, who was once a kindergarten teacher, said in a statement that this is intended to "fill the gap to support (school district officials) in this fight."
"Masks work, and locally elected leaders have a right to apply CDC guidance to keep kids safe at school. We stand with school leaders across the state who refuse to let our children become political pawns in the Governor’s partisan game," State Sen. Janet Cruz said.
This week, the Democratic leadership team sent a letter to all of Florida's 67 superintendents and school boards, asking them to go against the Governor's order and require students to wear masks in schools.
Gov. DeSantis signed the executive order last month banning mask mandates in Florida's public schools. He says it's a parent's right to decide whether their children should wear masks on campus.
Several Florida counties, including Broward, Alachua and Leon, have approved full mask mandates for schools. In the Tampa Bay area, only Hillsborough County is requiring masks, but parents can opt out by filling out a form. Superintendent Addison Davis says the opt-out averts Gov. DeSantis' threat to pull funding from the district.
State Senators are not alone in looking for ways to compensate school officials in districts with mask requirements. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters the federal government is looking at ways to pay them with funds from the American Rescue Plan.