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Federal judge declines to block Florida ban on mask mandates

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban blocking local schools from implementing mask mandates remains in tact thanks to a judge's ruling.
Credit: AP
FILE- In this Aug. 23, 2021, file photo, Miami-Dade schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, center, walks with students Oliver Angel, left, and Ariah Olawale, right, outside of iPrep Academy on the first day of school, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, in Miami. The on-again, off-again ban imposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to prevent mandating masks for Florida school students is back in force. The 1st District Court of Appeal ruled Friday, Sept. 10, 2021, that a Tallahassee judge should not have lifted an automatic stay two days ago that halted enforcement of the mask mandate ban. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

FLORIDA, USA — A federal judge has declined to block a ban imposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to prevent mandating masks for Florida school students amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. 

Judge K. Michael Moore in Miami denied a request by parents of disabled children for a preliminary injunction against an executive order that DeSantis issued in July that served as the basis for the Florida Department of Health issuing a rule that required school districts to allow parents to opt out of any student mask mandates. 

Moore wrote in Wednesday's ruling that parents should have pursued administrative claims before filing a lawsuit.  

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued a similar ban to prevent local schools from implementing mask mandates. 

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