A Florida judge on Monday temporarily halted a statewide order that would have forced schools to choose between reopening for in-person classes this month amid the coronavirus pandemic or risk losing funding.
The ruling blasted Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) and other top officials for requiring the reopening brick-and-mortar schools five days a week, saying the order “essentially ignored” Florida state constitutional requirement that schools be operated safely.
“The districts have no meaningful alternative,” wrote Judge Charles Dodson of Leon County. “If an individual school district chooses safety, that is, delaying the start of schools until it individually determines it is safe to do so for its county, it risks losing state funding, even though every student is being taught.”
While Dodson’s ruling only temporarily blocks the order while the case continues to play out, it marked a significant legal win for the Florida Education Association (FEA), a statewide teachers union, and several other plaintiffs who are pushing for a more cautious return to in-person education.
“Districts’ hands will not be tied as we continue the fight to protect students and educators in our public schools,” the FEA wrote in a tweet after the ruling was handed down.
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Florida judge halts order requiring schools to reopen for in-person classes https://t.co/8ntOoyLVpY pic.twitter.com/ivy8XWW1jq
— The Hill (@thehill) August 24, 2020
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