MIAMI – Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he accepts the COVID task force’s recommendation to make masks mandatory in campuses at the start of the new school year, but a final decision on the matter is not expected until the Miami-Dade School Board meets later this week.
Monday’s Zoom meeting was one that many parents and teachers had been anticipating. Miami-Dade district officials discussed with their COVID task force what they have been doing up to this point to keep students safe.
“We need to do what is medically, and public health, the best decision and not be influenced by individuals who do not necessarily follow the medicine and the science,” said Dr. Aileen Marty, infectious disease expert at Florida International University.
Carvalho and a team of medical experts faced the issue of whether to require face coverings on campus. The matter is expected to come to a vote during Wednesday’s Miami-Dade School Board meeting.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been vocal about what he wants districts to do: leave it up to the parents.
But President Joe Biden and his administration are backing up those districts that enforce mask mandates.
In Monday’s meeting, the superintendent stood firm, saying he will listen to the scientists.
“Based on the guidance that we received in light of our current conditions locally, we are considering that facial coverings be required with a qualified parental opt-out,” said district official Jaime Torrens.
Among the recommendations the COVID task force made are:
- mandatory masking with accomodations as medically prescribed for students
- masking on buses
- social distancing
- increased sanitizing
Meanwhile, one of the school board members has not been shy about her views on the debate.
Dr. Lubby Navarro recently tweeted, “I do not support masking our children! I stand firm on giving the choice to parents! The strongest voice in our education system are our parents!”
Navarro works for Memorial Healthcare System.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Memorial Healthcare wrote:
“The opinions of any of the more than 14,000 Memorial Healthcare System employees in forums outside their jobs and on their own time do not reflect the institutional position of the organization. Memorial Healthcare System has been consistent in supporting the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines…. that currently includes getting vaccinated, masking in all indoor public settings, hand washing, social distancing, and other actions that promote health and safety.”
While school district officials have not made a final decision yet, with school one week away, they are thinking about the lives already lost due to COVID, including a 13-year-old child.
“I don’t want to be the person who has to call a relative of some of the individuals who have reached out to me that I have spoken with, nor do I want to make another phone call to someone to say how sorry we are that their loved one is no longer here,” said Carvalho.
The COVID task force has asked for some additional work, particularly with issues pertaining to quarantining. They will be meeting weekly to examine how things are changing in the community.
