Florida governor Ron DeSantis is under fire from parents who are demanding he “stop bullying kids” after DeSantis lashed out at a group of high school students for wearing masks during his visit to the University of South Florida this week.
As he walked to the podium to address reporters, DeSantis confronted seven high school students standing on stage wearing masks.
“You do not have to wear those masks,” the governor said in front of a slew of the press. “I mean, please take them off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything and we’ve gotta stop with this COVID theater. So if you want to wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous.”
Now, parents are furious.
“Stop bullying kids,” Kevin Brown Sr., whose son was among the seven students standing on stage, said during an interview with WFLA. “His mother tells him to wear the mask,” he told WFLA. “I tell him it’s his choice, so he made that choice and the governor has no right to tell no kid or no one that they can or can’t wear a mask. He doesn’t have that right.”
Another parent, Dawn Marshall, told CBS17 in Tampa that she is angry that an authority figure like the governor pressured his son Eric to removed his mask.
“He pretty much said, ‘Take off your mask, it’s stupid. Take off your mask, your parents don’t matter.’ Even though I’m telling you parents matter and he’s telling my minor child to take off his mask. He’s putting us at risk. Oh yeah, I was upset. Very upset,” she said
Watch the videos below.
"I would tell (the governor) to stop bullying kids."
Kevin Brown says Gov. DeSantis had no right to tell his son and the other high school students to take off their masks.
His son decided to keep his mask on during the press conference at USF. https://t.co/JNYeA9dYci @WFLA pic.twitter.com/nnBTJNmfQF
— Justin Schecker (@WFLAJustin) March 3, 2022
"I took mine off."
"Did you feel pressure by the governor to do that?"
"A little."
This @HillsboroughSch senior's mom says she's very upset and it was "shocking" for Gov. DeSantis to ask her son & the other high school students to take off their masks. https://t.co/JNYeA9dYci pic.twitter.com/W6WZbAOKh8
— Justin Schecker (@WFLAJustin) March 3, 2022
