Court rules for Florida governor, reinstates ban on mask mandates in state's schools

A Florida appeals court ruled on Friday in favor of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, issuing a stay in a case that effectively reinstates his ban on mask mandates in the U.S. state's public schools. Some parents in Florida and across the United States have clashed with school and health officials in what has become a politicized tussle over COVID-19 precautions.

A Florida appeals court ruled on Friday in favor of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, issuing a stay in a case that effectively reinstates his ban on mask mandates in the U.S. state's public schools.

Some parents in Florida and across the United States have clashed with school and health officials in what has become a politicized tussle over COVID-19 precautions. A Republican, DeSantis in July issued an executive order barring school mask mandates. DeSantis has said parents should decide if their children wear masks.

Miami-Dade is among more than a dozen school districts that imposed mask requirements in defiance of the governor's order. This week, the state Department of Education withheld funding from two of those districts. On Aug. 27 Florida's 2nd Circuit Judge John Cooper ruled that the state does not have the authority to ban mandates.

Friday's ruling was by the First District Court of Appeals.