True to his word, Governor Ron DeSantis has filed an appeal to Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper’s ruling that he overstepped his authority when he ordered schools not to impose mask mandates. Lee County imposed a mask mandate after Cooper’s ruling.
Last night the governor took his case to the 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee looking to reverse the Cooper decision. DeSantis says he’s simply standing with parents and wants them to have the ability to opt out of the mandate.
Here in Lee County, recent school board meetings have resulted in parents scuffling with each other over masking. This week the school board fighting amongst parents made it all the way to CNN.
DeSantis believes he can win his case by linking the mask mandate to the Parents’ Bill of Rights law, which he says, gives parents the authority to oversee their children’s education and health.
No time table was announced on when the court will rule. The Lee County mask mandate was implemented Wednesday and will be re-evaluated after 30 days. COVID cases in Lee County have been declining this week.