ONE BOARD MEMBER DISSENTED, SHE IS WITH US LIVE NEXT. THE BROWARD SCHOOL BOARD
DECISION TO KEEP MASKS MANDATORY
CAME AFTER A CONTENTIOUS MEETING
THAT ENDED WITH AN 8-1 VOTE IN
FAVOR.
>> THE ONE MEMBER WHO VOTED
AGAINST WAS LORI ALHADEFF.
SHE SAYS SHE SUPPORTS THE OPT
OUT CHOICE FOR PARENTS AND BOARD
MEMBER ALHADEFF IS JOINING US
RIGHT NOW LIVE, GOOD MORNING,
THANKS TO STEE YOU, THANKS FOR
JOIN US.
>> HI LORI.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> SO TAKE US THROUGH YOUR
POSITION IN FAVOR OF THE OPT-OUT
PLAN WHICH YOUR FELLOW BOARD
MEMBERS VOTED AGAINST.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT’S A GOOD
IDEA?
>> SO FIRST I WOULD JUST LIKE TO
SAY THAT I DEFINITELY BELIEVE
THAT MASSKS HELP TO PREVENT THE
SPREAD OF COVID.
BUT WHEN I TOOK AN OATH OF
OFFICE AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER,
NOT ONLY DID I AGREE TO FOLLOW
THE FLORIDA CONSTITUTION, BUT
ALSO TO FOLLOW ALL THE LAWS IN
FLORIDA.
AND BASED ON THE EXECUTIVE ORDER
AND THE INFORMATION THAT CAME
OUT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH AND THE STATE SCHOOL
BOARD, THEY PUT IN PLACE RULES
WHICH SAYS THAT WE NEED TO OFFER
MASKS WITH PARENTS HAVING THE
OPTION TO OPT OUT.
AND ALSO, GIVEN THE GUIDANCE
FROM OUR GENERAL COUNSEL, WAS
THAT THEY, THAT SHE SAID THAT WE
SHOULD COMPLY WITH THE LAW.
YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOL BOARD COULD
HAVE VOTED YES AND AGREED ON THE
PLAN AND THE RULES SET FORTH BY
THE STATE, FOLLOWED THE LAW.
AND THEN THEY COULD HAVE MOVED
FORWARD AND FILED LEGAL ACTION
TO FIGHT IT.
>> ALL RIGHT, LET ME ASK YOU
SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT YOU JUST
SAID.
SO YOUR DISTRICT LEGAL COUNSEL
HAD ADVISED TO COMPLY WITH THE
LAW AS IT STANDS.
AND THEN THE LETTER THAT WENT TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IN
RESPONSE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
AND THE BOARD CHAIR WITH WHOM WE
JUST SPOKE, MADE A SCAITION TOR
THAT THE PLAN IS IN COMPLIANCE
BECAUSE THERE’S AN OPT OUT EVEN
THOUGH THE OPT OUT NEEDS A
MEDICAL NOTE WHICH ACTUALLY IS
NOT PART OF THE RULE.
SO WHAT YOU ARE SAYING, JUST SO
WE HEAR YOU, IS THAT THE
DISTRICT IS GOING AGAINST ITS
OWN COUNSEL?
>> CORRECT.
THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS WENT
AGAINST THE ADVISE FROM OUR
GENERAL COUNSEL.
BUT CAN I ALSO JUST SAY ON THE
MEDICAL NOTE PART.
IN OUR POLICY IT IT CLEARLY SAYS
THAT YOU HAVE TO GET A DOCTOR’S
NOTE IF YOU HAVE A CURRENT 504
PLAN OR AN IEP, AND THEN YOU CAN
GET THE DOCTOR’S NOTE TO BE ABLE
TO OPT OUT.
SO ST JUST NOT THIS BLANKET, YOU
KNOW, IF YOU HAVE HAVING A
HEALTH ISSUE.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CURRENT
504IEP.
>> GOT IT.
>> JUST BRIEFLY, EXPLAIN WHAT IS
A 504 PLAN.
>> SURE, SO IT IS BASICALLY LIKE
IF A STUDENT HAS SOME TYPE OF
SPECIAL NEEDS THAT THEY ARE ABLE
TO HAVE ALL THOSE NEEDS LIKE SAY
FOR EXAMPLE THEY MIGHT BE
ABLE-- NEED TO AT ANY TIME GO TO
THE BATHROOM, THAT WOULD BE IN
THEIR 504 PLAN.
>> SPECIAL NEEDS.
>>.
>> YOU KNOW, LORI, GOVERNOR
DESANTIS HAS MADE IT VERY CLEAR
OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT FOR HIM
THE ISSUE HERE IS REALLY
PARENTAL CHOICE, NOT HAVING
DPOFT DICTATE SOMETHING THIS
IMPORTANT.
YOU KNOW, I WOULD SIMPLY POINT
OUT AS I’M SURE YOU HAVE HEARD
OTHERS, THAT FOR CHILDREN TO
ATTEND PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN
FLORIDA, THEY HAVE TO HAVE SHOTS
FOR MAYSELS AND CHICKEN POX, ALL
KINDS OF THINGS, SO IF IT WERE
ANALAGOUS, YOU HAVE SU RENNERED
YOUR LIBERTY TO GET THOSE
VACCINATIONS BUT YOU WILL NOT
SURRENDER YOUR LIBERTY TO GET A
VACCINATION FOR A TERRIBLE
CORONAVIRUS.
WHERE IS THE CONSISTENCY THERE?
>> I AGREE WITH YOU.
I MEAN RIGHT NOW IT ST PARENTS
RIGHT WHETHER TO VACCINATE,
ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO AGES 12 TO
18 THE VACCINATION RATE FOR
BROWARD COUNTY WAS ONLY 21
PERCENT.
I’M SURE THAT NUMBER HAS GONE UP
BY NOW.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY, PARENTS ARE
NOT GETTING THEIR STUDENTS
VACCINATED.
IF THEY CAN, IF THEY ARE 12
YEARS AND OLDER, AND IT IS THE
MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO HELP TO
PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID.
AND IF YOU GET COVID YOU ARE NOT
GOING TO GET AS SICK IFS YOU ARE
VACCINATED.
SO I WOULD, YOU KNOW, IF THIS IS
ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE ARE
DPING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP OUR
STUDENTS IN SCHOOL AND HAVE
IN-PERSON LEARNING WHICH I
TOTALLY AGREE THAT WE NEED TO
DO, PEOPLE NEED TO GET THEIR
STUDENTS VACCINATED IF THEY’RE
IN THAT AGE CATEGORY.
>> SO AS THIS HAS UNFOLDED
DURING THE WEEK, HERE WE ARE
THREE DAYS, MONDAY, TUESDAY,
WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, THREE DAYS
FROM THE START OF SCHOOL, THE
WHEELS ARE ROLLING.
HAVE YOU HAD ANY KIND OF SURVEY
EITHER SCIENTIFIC OVER
ANECDOTAL.
CAN YOU, DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF
HOW MANY PARENTS WILL BE OPTING
OUT OF THIS MAN TATE WHETHER IT
ST WITH A NOTE FROM, A MEDICAL
NOTE OR WHETHER IT ST TO TAKE A
VOUCHER AND LEAVE OR WHETHER IT
IS JUST TO DO SOMETHING ELSE.
WHAT ARE THOSE NUMBERS LICK THAT
ARE YOU HEARING.
>> WE DON’T HAVE NUMBERS LIKE
THAT RIGHT NOW.
BUT I HAVE BEEN JUST HEARING AS
A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER AND AS A
PARENT, THERE ARE PEOPLE LEAVING
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT,
UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE PEOPLE
GETTING THEIR DOCTORS NOTE, IF
THEY HAVE A 504 PLAN OR AN IEP,
PU THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS WILL
BE 234 COMPLIANCE AND WILL
DEFINITELY BE WEARING A MASK.
>> SO WHAT IS THEN, EVEN IF IT
IS A SMALL NUMBER, WHAT IS THE
DISTRICT’S PLAN TO ACCOMMODATE
THESE KINDS OF STUDENTS WITH
THREE DAYS TO GO TO NAKE THAT
PLAN.
>> CAN YOU CLARIFY YOUR
QUESTION.
>> THERE IS THIS POSSIBLE OPT
OUT IN PLACE.
YOU ANT SURE OF THE NUMBERS
THERE IS NO WAY TO KNOW AT THIS
POINT, I SUPPOSE, WHO WILL BE
DOING THAT.
SO WHAT IS THE PLAN THAT THE
DISTRICT HAS ON WEDNESDAY WHEN
YOU FIND EVEN A SMALL AMOUNT OF
OPT OUTS, THOSE KIDS HAVE TO BE
EDUCATE.
WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR THEM?
>> THEY WILL BE GOING TO SCHOOL
LIKE EVERY OTHER CHILD.
THEY DESERVE TO TB TO SCHOOL,
NOT TO BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST
IN ANYWAY WHATSOEVER.
AND THERE WILL BE SOME STUDENTS
THAT WILL BE NOT WEARING A MASK,
BUT MOST STUDENTS WILL BE
WEARING A MASK.
>> SO IS THERE ANOTHER
CLASSROOM, ANOTHER TEACHER, A
VIRTUAL SOMETHING.
>> NO, NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT.
THEY WILL BE WITH EVERY OTHER,
YOU KNOW, IN THE REGULAR
CLASSROOM AND THEY WILL NOT BE
IN ANYWAY PUT INTO A SPECIAL
ROOM OR DISCRIMINATED AGAINST.
THEY WILL BE WITH ALL THEIR
PEERS, IN THEIR CLASSROOM.
>> YEAH.
YOU KNOW, I WOULD SIMPLY POINT
OUT WITHOUT KNOWING CAUSE AND
EFFECT HERE, THAT’S WHAT THEY
DID IN PALM BEACH COUNTY THIS
WEEK.
AND THEY WOUND UP WITH A 1,020
KIDS BEING QUARANTINED BECAUSE
THEY DIDN’T NECESSARILY TEST
POSITIVE, BUT THEY HAD BEEN
EXPOSED TO PEOPLE WITH COVID.
AREN’T YOU RUNNING THE RISK IN
BROWARD COUNTY, YOU KNOW, IF YOU
HAVE KIDS WHETHER THEY HAVE A
MEDICAL NOTE OR NOT, WHO ARE
SITTING NEXT TO KIDS WHO HAVEN’T
BEEN VACCINATED, AND ARE NOT
WEARING MASKS?
>> SO THE REALITY OF THE FACT IS
THERE GOING TO BE AN ABUNDANCE
OF KIDS THAT WILL HAVE COVID AND
WILL COME INTO SCHOOLS ON
WEDNESDAY AND WILL BE SPREADING
COVID.
BUT WHAT I WANT TO POINT OUT AS
PER OUR FACE COVERING POLICY, IS
THAT DURING LUNCH STUDENTS CAN
UNMASK.
WHEN THEY GO OUTSIDE AND THEY’RE
ON THE PLAYGROUND, THEY CAN
UNMASK.
IF THEY ARE DOING STRENUOUS
EXERCISE, THEY CAN UNMASK.
SO MY POINT IS COVID JUST
DOESN’T STOP BECAUSE ARE YOU
EATING LUNCH.
IT UNFORTUNATELY WILL BE
SPREADING AT OTHER TIMES TOO,
EVEN IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR MASK
MANDATE POLICY.
>> SURE.
SO LORI ALHADEFF AS ALWAYS, WE
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME, THE NATION
IS WATCHING WHAT HAPPENS IN
BROWARD COUNTY THIS WEEK.
AND SO WILL WE BE.
>> LORI, THANK YOU SO MUCH,