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Governor DeSantis made clear the state won’t allow for mask mandates to be instituted for classroom education for the upcoming school year. When the question came up on Thursday, he hesitated, "We’re not doing that in Florida. Ok? We need our kids to breathe. Is it really healthy for them to be muzzled and having their breathing obstructed all day long in school? I don’t think it is." Florida’s Department of Education issued the edict in May in advance of fall planning by school districts.
Staying with schools in mind, a day after the Palm Beach County School District named School District CFO Michael Burke as interim superintendent in a unanimous vote, Broward County made a similar decision. On 5-4 vote Vickie Cartwright was named Broward’s interim superintendent. Cartwright worked as an associated superintendent in Orlando’s Orange County School District for five years and most recently was a superintendent in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Governor DeSantis issued a notice to Florida’s State Board of Administration to place Ben & Jerry’s and their parent company, Unilever, on the state’s Continued Examination Companies that Boycott Israel list. Under Florida law, it’s illegal to participate in BDS activities and earlier this week Ben & Jerry’s announced they’d not sell their product in “occupied Palestinian Territory”. Inclusion on the list prevents the state from holding investments in Unilever or buying any of its products.
Lastly, data from Johns Hopkins indicates Florida’s pacing the highest number of new daily cases since January, in the infancy of COVID-19 vaccinations. According to their reporting, over 12,000 new cases were reported Wednesday, the state updates the official numbers weekly.