Richard Corcoran, the education commissioner for Florida writes, “Face coverings are a personal decision and certainly families and individuals should maintain their ability to make a decision that is unique to their circumstances. Broad sweeping mandatory face covering policies serve no remaining good at this point in our schools." He argues that mandatory face covering policies and I quote  "inhibit peer-to-peer learning in our classrooms.” 

Florida governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday May 11 the exact date of St. John’s county school board meeting stated at a news conference at Christ the King Catholic School in Jacksonville, "These kids do not need to be wearing these masks, OK? I'm sorry, they don't, we need to be able to let them be kids and let them act normally. And that's what should be the case in the fall throughout the school year."

We as members of St. Johns  county want our children to be able to follow these requests by our highest elected officials. The St. Johns County School Board need to be more transparent about decisions being made for our children. Parents deserve the right to be in control of mask wearing. We want our schools to be mask optional!