COVID-19 and school

Gov. Ron DeSantis touched on a variety of topics, including education, water quality improvements, and proposed bonuses for law enforcement officers, during his State of the State address.

DeSantis outlined his priorities for the 2022 legislative session — including the economy, education and immigration — while defending his decision not to lock down the state during the coronavirus.

In Pasco County, there were 649 teacher vacancies on Monday, with most related to COVID-19. It has forced the district to double up classes, or pull in staff members with teaching backgrounds to fill in.

Thousands of kids in Florida are testing positive for the coronavirus. Doctors say hospitals are seeing about as many patients as they did during the delta surge.

Florida Education Association president Andrew Spar says a "massive exodus" of teachers is contributing to the shortage.

The U.S. Department of Education dropped a cease-and-desist order after the state returned money it had been withholding from school districts that had since reversed their mask mandates.

The judge upheld the emergency rule and said decisions to opt out of student mask requirements are at the “sole discretion” of parents or guardians.

Lawmakers are facing questions about how public schools should be funded with more students taking classes online.

The U.S. Department of Education has asked an administrative judge to block the state from slashing federal aid money sent to the Broward and Alachua school districts over their mask mandates.

It's in response to the state saying it will withhold the salaries of school board members in counties that have issued mask mandates.

After hearing testimony for two days, Judge Brian Newman said he could issue his ruling on the case involving six school boards in the next two weeks.

Six school districts are suing the state and say the Department of Health’s basis for issuing a rule giving parents the right to opt out of mask mandates is wrong.