The Brevard County School Board will keep its mask mandate until the end of October unless coronavirus infections drop to a much lower level before then.
Tuesday's decision came despite a scolding from lawmakers last week and possible sanctions later this week from the State Board of Education.
The School Board voted 3 to 2 to require masking indoors and on buses.
If weekly COVID-19 cases drop below 50 per 100,000 residents, the superintendent will switch to a policy with a parental opt-out. As of last week, the rate is 126 per 100,000.
Board chair Misty Belford says the mandate is still needed, especially since quarantines are optional now.
She says focusing on pediatric deaths misses the other impacts on kids.
"And I don't know if I shared with you all," she said. "My own daughter contracted covid the first week of school. She has missed five of her first nine weeks of high school because she has post-covid illness."
On Thursday, the Florida Board of Education will consider sanctions against 11 districts -- including Orange and Brevard counties -- that defied the state ban on mandates.
