Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho wants the district鈥檚 esteemed panel of medical experts to decide the criteria for 鈥渙pting out鈥� of wearing face coverings in school.
During a Zoom meeting Wednesday evening, the doctors and public health experts assembled said masking should be universal. Some even pushed back against the argument that there are students with disabilities, including those with autism, who cannot wear masks for medical reasons.
鈥淚t would be a travesty 鈥攁 travesty 鈥� not to require masking in schools,鈥� said Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease specialist with Florida International University who serves on the task force.
You turn to 港澳天下彩for reporting you can trust and stories that move our South Florida community forward. Your support makes it possible. Please now. Thank you.
Referencing the political battle being waged over mask mandates, Marty asked school district leaders to resist being influenced by people 鈥渨ho don't necessarily follow the medicine and the science.鈥�
鈥淚 will not kowtow to dictates that damage the health and welfare of our society, no matter what kind of pressure is put on us 鈥� nor should anyone else. We need to have people with backbone,鈥� she said.
Marty鈥檚 comments come as the Miami-Dade school board is set to consider its COVID-19 protocols for the upcoming school year during a meeting Wednesday.
The state Board of Education will meet twice this week, in part to discuss a response to two school districts 鈥� Broward and Alachua counties 鈥� that have required masks despite an executive order and other state rules put in place to block mandates in the name of 鈥減arental rights.鈥�
Marty and other prominent doctors throughout Florida have urged Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to allow mask mandates in schools. His administration has threatened to withhold funding from districts if they don鈥檛 make masks optional.
Other doctors on the call stressed that they鈥檙e alarmed by what they鈥檙e seeing in private practices and local children鈥檚 hospitals.
鈥淚t's a surge like none other,鈥� said Dr. Beny Rub, a pediatrician in northern Miami-Dade County.
鈥淭here's no question,鈥� Marty said. 鈥淚t's the worst that Miami-Dade has ever had, throughout this pandemic.鈥�
Linda Washington-Brown, a nurse practitioner and the vaccine coordinator for the Miami Rescue Mission clinic, said health care providers are in 鈥渃risis mode.鈥�
鈥淭his virus is spreading 鈥� and among the very young,鈥� Washington-Brown said.
Rub echoed that sentiment.
鈥淓verybody needs to understand the severity,鈥� he said.
