Here's how three school districts are defying their state's ban on mask mandates

The debate over masks in schools has reared its head once again with the new academic year, and a handful of states have taken steps to restrict local officials' ability to implement their own masking requirements, either through the governor's office or state legislatures.

These restrictions -- made despite guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending masks for everyone in schools regardless of vaccination status -- have prompted showdowns between state officials and some local school districts, who say they're trying to protect their communities, particularly students who are ineligible for vaccines. Perhaps most prominently, several Florida school districts have decided to impose mask mandates, defying an executive order by Gov. Ron DeSantis that forbids such requirements and threatens to take away school funding if school districts don't allow students to opt-out.