The Biden administration might launch investigations into civil rights violations for states banning masks, secretary of training says

Pro-mask-wearing protesters hold a protest at the Cobb County School Board headquarters on Thursday, August 12, 2021 in Marietta, Georgia. AP Photo / Mike Stewart

• States like Florida have tried to ban schools from imposing mask requirements.

• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has threatened to withhold funds from schools that require masks.

• Education Minister Miguel Cardona said students should “have access to this fundamental right to education”.

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States that ban schools from introducing masking requirements could be investigated for civil rights violations, Education Minister Miguel Cardona said.

“We are ready to investigate with our Civil Rights Bureau to ensure that all students have access to this fundamental right to education. And it’s sad that we’re talking about it now, ”Cardona told NBC“ Meet the Press ”on Sunday.

COVID-19 cases are increasing in the country with the rise of the highly communicable Delta variant, and children are becoming infected and hospitalized at much higher rates. The Tampa Bay Times reported that in Florida, a quarter of all cases in the past week occurred in those under the age of 19. Those under the age of 12 also had a positivity rate of 23%, while those between the ages of 12 and 19 had a 25% positivity rate.

On July 31, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order banning the mask mandate in schools. Earlier this month, DeSantis also threatened to withhold paychecks for school board members in districts that impose masks.

Cardona said schools that fulfill unstate mask mandates cannot be denied federal funding. “We must do everything in our power to protect them,” Cardona said of Florida’s Alachua and Broward Counties school districts.

The state education committee threatened to withhold funds from the districts if they did not obey the governor’s orders.

“I spoke to the superintendents of these two communities and let them know that we have their backs. And yes, they can use the funds promised to help them reopen the schools safely,” Cardona said.

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