Joe Biden considering intervening in Ron DeSantis mask mandate ban

Image via AP.

President Joe Biden says the White House is researching whether he has the authority to intervene in bans on mask mandates, such as the one Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered for Florida schools.

Classes started in some Florida school districts Tuesday, and more schools are expected to open throughout the week. However, several school districts will require masks for students anyway, and the DeSantis administration has threatened to withhold the salaries of school administrators who implement those policies against his orders.

The White House is looking for ways to support school board members and superintendents who break state law to follow the federal guidance, but Biden on Tuesday downplayed his options.

“I don’t believe that I do thus far. We’re checking that, but federal workforce I can,” Biden said.

That was a more reserved response than White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki gave during a briefing earlier in the day when asked about Florida and Texas’ school mask rules.

“We are continuing to look for ways … for the U.S. government to support districts and schools as they try to follow the science (and) do the right thing and save lives,” Psaki said.

Nevertheless, during a stop in Pensacola, DeSantis attacked the Biden administration for using force and coercion. Parents’ rights will be vindicated, he said.

“(I) think that they really believe government should rule over the parents’ decisions, and I think the parents’ decisions in this regard should ultimately be what is done,” DeSantis said. “The fact of the matter is the parents are in the best position to know what’s best for the kids.”

DeSantis’ executive order, issued late last month, allows the Department of Education to take actions to ensure districts adhere to state law, including withholding state funds from noncompliant school boards. In statements to reporters, the Governor’s press secretary, Christina Pushaw, raised the threat of withholding salaries as a way to hit school districts’ wallets without hurting students’ education.

“With respect to enforcing any financial consequences for noncompliance of state law regarding these rules and ultimately the rights of parents to make decisions about their children’s education and health care decisions, it would be the goal of the State Board of Education to narrowly tailor any financial consequences to the offense committed. For example, the State Board of Education could move to withhold the salary of the district superintendent or school board members, as a narrowly tailored means to address the decision-makers who led to the violation of law,” she said.

“Education funding is intended to benefit students first and foremost, not systems,” Pushaw continued. “The Governor’s priorities are protecting parents’ rights and ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality education that meets their unique needs.”

DeSantis released the executive order during rising COVID-19 and delta variant cases. Florida has seen record-breaking hospitalizations and case loads since then, but DeSantis and the administration stand firm in their threat against school boards, now offering the “narrowly tailored” threat.

“We don’t want kids to suffer or teachers to suffer for the decisions of elected officials that violate state rules,” Pushaw told Florida Politics.

On Thursday, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the lone Democratic member of the Florida Cabinet, said she was working with the White House to relieve school districts that are punished by the Florida Department of Education. However, she was unable to provide specifics Thursday or Monday.

“I’m so grateful to President Biden for responding to our appeal for supplemental funding for Florida schools and protecting the rights of our local school districts,” Fried said in a statement, calling the Governor’s order unconstitutional.

Psaki noted that school districts still have not received federal funding that was sent to the state through the American Rescue Plan and questioned why that is the case. That funding could be used to help education officials who are standing up to the state, Fried added.

The back and forth between Washington and Tallahassee is the latest flareup over the President and Governor’s differing opinions on handling the pandemic.

After Biden told DeSantis and other Republicans to “get out of the way” of local governments trying to combat the virus last week, DeSantis responded, telling the President that he was “standing in your way” and “I don’t want to hear a blip about COVID from you.” Biden dismissed DeSantis’ four-minute remarks, quipping “Governor who?“

However, Tuesday’s remarks constituted a more stern reply.

“This is serious,” Psaki said. “We’re talking about people’s lives, and we know based on public health guidelines that even though kids under a certain age are not yet eligible, masks can have a huge impact.”