MIRAMAR, FLA. (WSVN) - Broward County Public School students are heading back to class on Wednesday after the school board voted to implement a mask mandate the day prior.
Before sunrise, dozens of bus drivers in Pembroke Pines took their seats for the first day of school.
“We are so excited to have you coming in today,” said BCPS Interim Superintendent Dr. Vickie Cartwright. “We’re here for you, we welcome you with open arms and have a great first day of school.”
Dr. Cartwright welcomed students back at Dolphin Bay Elementary School in Miramar.
“Our children are so excited to be back in our schools today, and as I’m talking with our staff, they’re absolutely prepared, and they are so thrilled to be in front of our children,” she said.
Teachers are welcoming back more than 200,000 students as a bitter divide over the mask mandate unfolds.
Parents called into the Florida State Board of Education meeting held on Tuesday afternoon to voice their opinions.
“If you’re worried about your kids, teach them how to wear an N-95 and have them wear it to school, otherwise, get lost,” said one caller.
“You only want to punish and you want to humiliate while children are in the ICU or in quarantine,” said another caller.
“These are tyrannical boards and these superintendents should be removed immediately,” said another caller.
“I know you don’t like the masks, I know it’s uncomfortable, I know you think everything is tyranny, but you’ve gotta think about the public good once in a while,” said another caller.
The state board voted to punish Alachua and Broward County school boards for defying the governor’s executive order to not mandate masks.
The BCPS board made their decision final on Tuesday.
A student must have a medical note to be exempt from wearing a face covering.
“I recommend that the State Board of Education uses its enforcement powers and protect the right of the parents to make health and educational decisions for the children,” Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said.
Now it is up to the commissioner to consider the penalties for the decision.
“When I’m looking at the numbers, and we only have five pediatric ICU beds available in all of Broward County, and this is a school district of over 260,000 students, that is quite alarming,” said Cartwright.
She spoke about the controversy again outside Dolphin Bay Elementary School.
“The language that was in the Department of Health rule, not Department of Education, Department of Health’s rule was very vague, and it was not specific,” said Cartwright. “We believe that we are in compliance, and we hold true to that ground.”
Broward Teacher’s Union President Anna Fusco said schoolteachers support the mandate.
“Hopefully, one day we will be mask-free, but until then, it’s a protocol,” Fusco said.
7News spoke with some parents dropping their students off at school.
“I’m feeling OK,” said one parent. “We have to believe that we keep our kids safe, masks, hand sanitizer, cleanliness, and we just got to pray to God that nothing happens.”
“Honestly, I wish they had that option to have them online as well, but like my husband said, we kind of have to go back to normal, but [I’m] really hoping that at least they open that option back up just in case we decide as parents that we’re not comfortable with it,” said another parent.
Students at Cypress Bay High School in Weston were excited to come back to campus.
“We missed our friends, and we missed our routine that we had going on, and we missed our teachers and learning in person,” said one student.
“We’re just ready to be back to some sort of routine,” said another student.
“Just protect yourself, wash your hands, hand sanitizer and you’ll be fine,” said another student. “We have a vaccine, we’re wearing our masks, so I’m fine with that.”
Archdiocese of Miami students also started school on Wednesday.
“I am ready, yeah. It’s time for her to go learn from the teacher,” said one parent. “Homeschooling wasn’t working for me.”
“We believe that our COVID protocols, our masking, our social distancing and other practices will provide for the ongoing safety of our students and employees,” said Archdiocese of Miami Superintendent Jim Rigg.
“They’re really good with that, so I really trust them,” said one parent.
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