Florida Board of Education Votes to Probe 2 School Districts That Defied DeSantis Ban on Mask Mandates

Families protest any potential mask mandates before the Hillsborough County Schools Board meeting held at the district office in Tampa, Fla., on July 27, 2021. Octavio Jones/Getty Images

Florida’s State Board of Education voted on Aug. 17 to investigate and potentially punish the two school districts that are openly defying the ban on school mask mandates signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The board, which consists of DeSantis appointees, voted unanimously in favor of taking enforcement action against the Alachua and Broward school districts.