Florida's ban on school mask mandates is reinstated by court

The ruling was a reversal of Wednesday's order that blocked the state's ban on school mask mandates.
Judge's gavel
By Natalia Mittelstadt

Florida's 1st District Court reinstated Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) ban on school mask mandates Friday, after a lower court blocked it earlier this week.

Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper had lifted the automatic stay on Wednesday that was prompted by DeSantis' appeal of the court's ruling against his ban on school mask mandates, local NBC affiliate WFLA reported. By lifting the stay, Cooper allowed the school mask mandates to resume.

With the higher court's reversal of Cooper's order, the state can reinforce the ban on school mask mandates as the appeals process continues through the courts. The ban requires schools to provide parents with the option to opt-out their children from mask mandates.