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Reps. Eskamani, Guillermo Smith Respond to Judge Cooper's Ruling Overturning Florida's Face Mask Mandate Ban

Photo: Vera Davidova
Photo: Vera Davidova

Judge John Cooper has ruled that school districts in Florida should be allowed to pass face mask mandates for K-12 students as needed. 



Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani says she’s incredibly proud of the parents who were the plaintiffs in the lawsuit for pursuing justice for their children.

And she says the ruling is an important reflection of what Floridians can accomplish when they work together with safety and health as their first priorities, not politics.

“This really is a big victory when it comes to keeping our kids safe and following the best public health standards and guidelines that are established today.”

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State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith says the ruling will make it easier for the ten districts in the state that have already passed face mask mandates to enforce them. 

Plus, Guillermo Smith says it will clear up any confusion teachers, parents or students might have around these policies, while encouraging more districts to pass similar mandates.

“The reality is also this message is not just that they can do this, they should do this. We have pediatric COVID cases rising, we have hospitalizations continuing to rise in pediatrics in Florida with COVID and it’s really important that school districts do this even if it's temporary.” 

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Orange County Public Schools’ face mask mandate will take effect Monday, August 30th.

Danielle Prieur is WMFE's education reporter.