Florida and Texas schools defy governors’ mask bans as cases soar

Biden administration considering reimbursing school officials who lose their pay if DeSantis follows through on his threat

As school districts in Florida resist efforts to ban masks in schools amid a surge in Covid cases, the Biden administration has said it will consider supporting education leaders who are financially penalised for taking such action by the state's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis.

On Tuesday the Broward county school board in Florida, one of the largest in the state, became the latest to flout an order by DeSantis outlawing mask requirements. Earlier this week the governor said he would permit the state board of education to withhold payment of school district leaders who implemented mask mandates.