Students can transfer schools to avoid COVID-19 'harassment' like mask mandates, Florida's board of education says

Students can transfer schools to avoid 'harassment' like mask mandates, Florida's board of education says.

The Florida Board of Education passed a rule Friday allowing parents in the state to skirt mask mandates that districts may enforce for their children. The rule, passed unanimously at an emergency meeting, lets parents transfer their kids to a private school or another district if they experience “COVID-19 harassment,” including mask requirements. According to the rule, these students would qualify for a Hope Scholarship, an existing program created to protect children who are bullied, assaulted, harassed or threatened, in school. The rule was in response to an executive order issued last week by Gov. Ron DeSantis, which directed the state departments of education and health to enact measures to protect “parents’ rights ... to make health care decisions for their minor children.”