Judge won’t dismiss suit on Florida school mask mandate ban

By CURT ANDERSON and KELLI KENNEDY
Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the order by Gov. Ron DeSantis that parents should decide if their children wear masks at school to combat the coronavirus. The order Thursday by Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper clears the way for a three-day hearing next week on whether to block enforcement of the order. The DeSantis order bans schools from imposing mask mandates unless parents can opt out of the requirements. Five Florida school districts — including four of the largest — are defying that order by permitting mask opt-outs only for medical reasons rather than parental choice.