Student and staff deaths prompt Miami mask ruling

The Miami district school board—the largest in Florida and fourth-largest in the nation, with around 334,000 students—met Wednesday and decided to implement a recommendation that students be required to wear masks when they return next week. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said a 13-year-old student and four employees have died from, the AP reports.Republican Governor DeSantis issued an order last month for parents to have the final say over whether students wear masks, saying students shouldn’t be “muzzled.”

The Florida Board of Education said Tuesday that the Broward and Alachua school districts, which require all students without medical exemptions to wear masks, could face penalties including the withholding of funds. After the ruling, the Alachua County School Board voted Tuesday night to extend the mandate for another two months.