Speaking to CNN, Broward County Public Schools Interim Superintendent Vickie Cartwright said that her school board will defy Governor Ron DeSantis, who threatened to withhold school officials’ salaries if they defy an executive order forbidding schools from implementing mask mandates to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“My core value is students first. No amount of personal financial loss will cause me to go against this value. No amount of money can compare to a person’s life or the impact that this virus may have on a person or their family,” Cartwright said on CNN’s “New Day.”
“Local decisions such as this allow for responsiveness and the immediate needs for local and very real situations. It wasn’t an easy decision for them to make, but I know at the heart of every one of our board members that they are making a decision that they feel is right to keep the health and safety of our students and our community,” she said.
The Broward County School Board voted Tuesday to maintain the school district’s mask mandate that was originally approved July 28.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
You can watch Cartwright’s interview below.
The decision to mandate face masks on Broward County Public Schools' campuses could cost interim superintendent Vickie Cartwright her paycheck.
"My core value is students first. No amount of personal financial loss will cause me to go against this."https://t.co/qlFsoVxTt1 pic.twitter.com/y1BZVOuwe0
— CNN This Morning (@CNNThisMorning) August 12, 2021
Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.
