A court ruling that says Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration acted “without legal authority” when enforcing a banagainst strict mask mandates in schools went into effect Thursday, nearly a week after it was issued. Hours later, DeSantis appealed the order.
In his 37-page ruling, Leon County Circuit Court Judge John C. Cooper said that the governor, the Department of Education and State Board of Education improperly applied the Parents Bill of Rights. He concluded they have no authority to punish school districts that have demonstrated their mask policy “is reasonable” and achieves “a compelling state interest.”