A Florida judge has ruled against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appeal and is allowing Florida schools to continue to have mask mandates while the case is appealed at a higher level, CNN reported Wednesday.
In his ruling, Second Circuit Judge John Cooper wrote that “effective immediately, the state of Florida must stop enforcement of banning mask mandates.”
The decision also ends sanctions against several school districts who have implemented such mandates.
DeSantis had appealed Cooper’s earlier ruling that that stated the governor overreached and did not have the authority to ban school districts from implementing mask mandates without a parent opt-out.
That appeal led to an immediate pause on mask mandates while a ruling was made. Thirteen Florida school districts have now implemented a mask mandate without a parent opt out, defying an earlier executive order by the governor.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
