Statement by Commissioner Nikki Fried on Appeals Court Reinstating DeSantis’ School Mask Ban

Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, in response to the First District Court of Appeals’ decision to reinstate Governor DeSantis’s unconstitutional ban on masks in schools, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried issued the following statement:

“There is no word in modern day English that gives meaning to the pain of a parent losing their child because that kind of grief is beyond words. I’m also at a loss for words hearing about this decision – I don’t understand why anyone would fight so hard against a policy that could save children’s lives and prevent that kind of unimaginable suffering. Children, parents, and teachers across the state are getting sick and dying from COVID-19, yet Governor DeSantis has banned schools from putting adequate protections in place to keep students and staff safe. The utter disregard for the well-being of Floridians demonstrated by the DeSantis administration’s COVID policies is unconscionable and I once again call on him to immediately rescind this Executive Order that was twice previously deemed unconstitutional.”

Background

The First District Court of Appeals ruled today reinstating the Governor’s ban on mask mandates in schools, which a judge previously ruled as unconstitutional and should not be enforced.

Meanwhile, evidence is emerging from school districts that defied the Governor’s unconstitutional mask ban that shows that enacting mask requirements in schools has helped. For example, the Hillsborough County COVID dashboard showed a drop of more than 50% in the number of students and staff quarantined since the school district enacted their requirement on face coverings in schools.

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