Miami Herald: “Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration won approval on Friday to put a hold on a Leon County judge’s ruling that said the state could not enforce a ban on strict mask mandates in schools. The 1st District Court of Appeal agreed to a state request to reinstate a stay on Judge John Cooper’s ruling amid objections from a group of parents who said the move could cause ‘irreparable harm’ to their children amid a rise of COVID-19 cases.
“The decision means the state can continue to punish school officials who impose mask mandates without a parent opt-out. Cooper ruled last month that the state could not penalize districts that impose strict mask mandates if they demonstrate the policy is ‘reasonable’ and necessary to achieve a ‘compelling state interest’.”
“’Upon our review of the trial court’s final judgment and the operative pleadings, we have serious doubts about standing, jurisdiction, and other threshold matters,’ the order states. ‘These doubts significantly militate against vacating the automatic stay, the stay should have been left in place pending appellate review.’”