GOING TO JOIN US LIVE AT 7.15 TOMORROW MORNING WITH WHAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
HAVING THEIR CHILD VACCINATED.
THE DEBATE OVER FACE MASKS IN LOCAL SCHOOLS NOW SIMMERING IN SAINT
JOHNS COUNTY. A NEW GROUP IS
URGING THE SCHOOL BOARD TO
REQUIRE THAT STUDENTS WEAR FACE
COVERINGS AS THE DELTA VARIANT
CONTINUES
TO SPREAD. PLUS A NEW STATE
LEVEL EFFORT WOULD ALLOW
STUDENTS TO GO TO PRIVATE
SCHOOL WITH THEIR FAMILY
DOESN’T LIKE THE DISTRICT’S
MASK POLICIES. NEWS 4 JAX
REPORTER JOE MCLEAN LIVE IN
SAINT JOHNS COUNTY BREAKING IT
ALL DOWN FOR US.
JOE LET’S START THERE WITH THE
ORGANIZATION LOBBYING FOR A
MASK MANDATE IN THE COUNTY.
>> THE GROUP IS CALLED DOCTORS
AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS FOR MASKS
IN SAINT JOHNS COUNTY SCHOOLS
IS KIND OF A LONG NAME, BUT
IT’S A VERY SIMPLE PREMISE
BECAUSE OF THE DELTA VARIANT
AND ITS HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS
NATURE. THIS GROUP WANTS THE
SCHOOL BOARD IN SAINT JOHNS
COUNTY TO IMPOSE A MASK MANDATE
FOR ALL STUDENTS.
>>JOY PURDY: HOW CAN THEY
EXPECT US TO SEND OUR KIDS TO
SCHOOL WITH
NO PROTECTION.
>> HEATHER AND THOSE IN A
SOCIAL MEDIA GROUP SHE FOUNDED
ARE CALLING ON THE SAINT JOHNS
COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD TO REIMPOSE
A MASK REQUIREMENT
FOR STUDENTS AS THEY’RE SET TO
RETURN TO CLASSROOMS ON AUGUST
16TH, WHY SHOULD MASKS BE
MANDATED RATHER THAN JUST
LETTING FAMILIES MAKE THAT
DECISION FOR THEMSELVES THERE
ARE SEVERAL REASONS FOR
THAT ONE.
>> STUDIES HAVE PROVEN THAT
MASKS ARE MORE EFFECTIVE WHEN.
EVERYBODY’S
WEARING THEM. THE DELTA VARIANT
IS A LOT MORE CONTAGIOUS THAN THE VARIANT THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR.
>> AN ONLINE PETITION STARTED 6
DAYS AGO HAS RACKED UP MORE
THAN 3,000 SIGNATURES. ALTHOUGH
WE CAN’T CONFIRM HOW MANY OF
THOSE ARE OF SAINT JOHNS
COUNTY RESIDENTS. GROUP LEADERS
TELL ME THEY PLAN TO BE AT THE
UPCOMING SCHOOL
BOARD MEETING, NEARLY 3 WEEKS
AGO BOARD MEMBER BETTS LAU SAID
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH A LOCAL
NEWS OUTLET THAT MASKS ARE NOT
NECESSARY DUE TO THE LOW NUMBER
OF CASES IN
THE COUNTY. WHILE THOSE NUMBERS
HAVE CHANGED SO OUT WOULD NOT
CONFIRM WHETHER HER OPINIONS
ABOUT MASK MANDATES OF CHANGE
SAYING QUOTE OUR DISTRICT
CONTINUES TO CLOSELY MONITOR
THE SITUATION. SHE ADDED THE
GOVERNOR DESANTIS HIS RECENT
EXECUTIVE ORDER TIES, THE
DISTRICT’S HANDS ON A MASK
MANDATE. BUT AS NEWS 4 JAX HAS
REPORTED SOME DISTRICTS ARE
MOVING AHEAD ANYWAY.
ALACHUA COUNTY’S DISTRICT
IMPOSED A 2 WEEK MASK RULE FOR
STUDENTS AND DUVAL IMPOSED A
WORKAROUND PROVIDING PARENTS A
WAY TO OPT OUT OF MASK-WEARING
FOR THEIR CHILD.
>> ANOTHER BIG DEVELOPMENT TODAY, THE STATE COULD SOON ALLOW WAIVER A VOUCHER TO GO TO
A PRIVATE SCHOOL IF THEIR
PARENTS DETERMINED. THAT’S THE
COVID PROTOCOLS IN THEIR
DISTRICT.
JOSE A THREAT TO THEIR HEALTH
OR EDUCATIONAL WELL-BEING THAT
IS SET TO THE PROGRAM. IT’S
CURRENTLY IN EFFECT FOR
STUDENTS WHO ARE HARASSED WHO
ARE BULLIED BUT THEY’RE TALKING
ABOUT EXPANDING THAT PROGRAM
THAT STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
DISCUSSION IS SET TO HAPPEN
TOMORROW MORNING AT 11,
REPORTING LIVE I’M JOE MCLEAN
CHANNEL 4. THE LOCAL STATION.
>>JOY PURDY: JOE YOU’VE ALSO
BEEN GOING THROUGH SAINT JOHNS
COUNTY SCHOOLS. COVID PROTOCOLS
THEY WERE JUST PUBLISHED TO ITS
WEBSITE TODAY.
>> YEAH AND WE SAW THERE’S NO DIFFERENCE FROM WHAT’S THE BOARD PASSED IN MID JULY AND WE
CAN GO THROUGH THAT REALLY
QUICK. WE MENTIONED THE FACE
MASK OF COURSE ARE OPTIONAL AT
THIS POINT NO MORE TEMPERATURE
CHECKS OR DESK. IN THE THAT’S A CHANGE FROM LAST YEAR SOCIAL DISTANCING WILL STILL BE IN
EFFECT WHEN POSSIBLE THE RULES
SAY. THE DISTRICT ALSO SAYS
IT’S GOING TO CONTINUE WITH THE
CLEANING SUPPLIES WITH THE
SANITATION PROTOCOLS, IT’S
STILL GOING TO BE PART OF THE
DAILY PLAN STADIUM CAPACITY IN
SAINT JOHNS COUNTY FOR ATHLETIC
EVENTS IS GOING TO BE LIMITED
TO 75% OR
1500 SPECTATORS. AND WE DO HAVE
A LINK TO THE FULL LIST OF
COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS RULES
THEIR THEIR PLAN. IT’S ALL
INSIDE THIS STORY ON
NEWSFOURJAX
DOT COM.
>>JOY PURDY: BACK TO YOU ALL
RIGHT JOE MCLEAN REPORTING LIVE
FOR US TONIGHT JOE THANK YOU
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