Announcement Regarding District Mask Requirements

Masks to Continue!!

As many of you know, today, April 26th, is the day that a state-wide decision must be made by Governor DeSantis concerning the current Executive Order (signed Feb. 26, 2021), which created the “State of Emergency” that Florida has been operating under for most of the past year. Today is the date this order expires and therefore a decision must be made to continue or rescind the order and protections it established.

USEP has been actively promoting the continuation of the safety precautions this order created which included the use of face masks for all students, employees, and campus visitors. We believe that with only 22 school days remaining in this school year, continuing these safety precautions would be the only prudent action to take. Don Peace, the USEP President, has publicly stated in the past 3 School Board meetings our belief that masks offer some protection in these uncertain times and should be maintained for the remainder of this year and has encouraged the Board to take formal action to maintain this program.

It appears that through our efforts, and with additional legal guidance, the Superintendent has decided to keep the mask provision requirement in place for the remainder of this school year. USEP applauds that decision and will work with District staff to address this matter going into the next school year.