Florida Gov. DeSantis to school officials: Enforce mask mandate, get your salaries withheld

The state "could" defund the salaries of district superintendents and county school board members who mandate mask wearing in schools, according to a statement from Gov. Ron DeSantis' office. 

The statement comes as the latest salvo in an ongoing battle over mandating masks in schools, a fight that has flared in school districts across the country as the pandemic resurgesas the school year is set to start.

The governor's spokeswoman, Christina Pushaw, released the following language Monday afternoon:

"With respect to enforcing any financial consequences for noncompliance of state law regarding these rules and ultimately the rights of parents to make decisions about their children's education and health care decisions, it would be the goal of the State Board of Education to narrowly tailor any financial consequences to the offense committed. 

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"For example, the State Board of Education could move to withhold the salary of the district superintendent or school board members, as a narrowly tailored means to address the decision-makers who led to the violation of law."

At least one superintendent offered an immediate defiant response. Leon County Superintendent Hanna told school officials at a meeting Monday afternoon "you can't put a price tag on someone's life, including my salary."

“We want to make sure that children also have access to a high-quality education but they can’t if they’re sick and in the hospital,” he added. Hours earlier, Hanna announced that students in elementary and middle schools will be required to wear masks as the upcoming school year begins in Tallahassee. 

Leon joins several other Florida counties — including Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Orange and Palm Beach — that have already announced mask mandates in public schools. 

Angry parents have flooded school board meetings in Florida and across the country both supporting and opposing face covering requirements on schoolchildren. 

At one meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Education in North Carolina, for example, a group of parents opposing the district’s mask mandate tried to "overthrow" the current board and instate themselves into the positions over the question of mask mandates.

Related:Protesters object to Buncombe County Schools' mask mandate, attempt to 'overthrow' board

Late last month, DeSantis issued an executive order that prohibits county school boards from imposing masking requirements on students. And last week, the Department of Health and Department of Education OK'd emergency rules to allow parents to make the decision for their children to wear masks.

In an email, Andrew Spar — president of the Florida Education Association, the statewide teachers union — said DeSantis "needs to set aside his political goals and focus on the safety of our students. 

"He must listen to the people who are ultimately responsible for the overall health and well-being of all students and stop these heavy-handed tactics," he added. "He can do the right thing by not playing politics during this public health emergency.”

Requests for comment on DeSantis' announcement are pending with the Florida School Boards Association and the Florida Association of District School Superintendents. 

As part of a longer statement to the USA TODAY Network-Florida, DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said that, "as a father of 3 children, (the governor) cares about every child in our state and trusts families to make the right decisions for their own children.

"Anyone who feels safer wearing a face covering is free to wear one, and any parent who wants his or her child to wear a face covering has the right to make that choice."

But, she added, the governor remains opposed to requiring kids to wear masks in schools, saying he believes "there are potential downsides to masking children for 8 hours per day, from a developmental, emotional, academic, and medical perspective.

"These potential downsides are largely unexplored ... This is (his) philosophy: Protecting individual rights and every family’s freedom to choose what is best for their own kids."

Shelby Harris, Ana Goñi-Lessan and Casey Chapter contributed.