Hillsborough County extends school mask mandate for 30 days

TAMPA, Fla. - The Hillsborough County School Board voted Thursday evening to extend the district's mask mandate for 30 days. 

Despite facing punishment by the state, the Hillsborough County School Board voted in August to defy Governor Ron DeSantis' ban on mask mandates. With its 30-day mandate set to expire, the board has re-upped its commitment to curbing the spread of COVID-19 in classrooms. 

The mandate will now stay in place until October 15. Only a doctor's note can relieve a student of the requirement.

MORE: Florida judge rules against governor, allowing school districts to require masks without being penalized

The school board said it will continue to monitor the pandemic and follow mitigation strategies as recommended by the CDC and health officials.

Two weeks after the board passed the mandate, Chairwoman Lynn Gray said the policy was working, with student and staff quarantines down 15% and the number of positive COVID-19 cases down 23%.

MORE: Mask mandate complies with state law, Hillsborough school district tells commissioner

The governor's ban on mask mandates has been making its way through the courts and has twice been struck down.

A Florida judge ruled Wednesday that the state cannot enforce a ban on public schools mandating the use of masks to guard against the coronavirus, while an appeals court sorts out whether the ban is ultimately legal. The state had been granted a stay on Judge John Cooper's original ruling, but the stay was overturned Wednesday.

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