Florida's Governor Says School Leaders May Have Salary Withheld If They Require Masks

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/09/ [login to see] /florida-governor-desantis-school-superintendent-salary-masks
As the majority of Florida's K-12 schools prepare to reopen campuses at full capacity this week — many of them on Tuesday — Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the State Board of Education could withhold pay from school leaders who implement mask mandates for students.

The move to potentially punish educators follows days of controversy during which school district superintendents and school board members seeking to comply with CDC guidelines ignored an executive order from DeSantis banning school districts from requiring students to wear face masks.

In a statement to CBS4, the governor's office said the State Board of Education may "narrowly tailor any financial consequences" for those who violate the law. It adds that the governor, who has opposed all face covering mandates since the start of the pandemic, is intent on protecting parents' rights.

"Ultimately — Education funding is for the students. The kids didn't make the decision to encroach upon parents' rights. So any financial penalties for breaking the rule would be targeted to those officials who made that decision," the governor's spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said in a tweet.