JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Kids two and older enrolled in Head Start Programs must wear masks indoors in order to comply with a new federal mask mandate.
Under the rule, students must wear a mask at all times except when eating, drinking, or napping. The only exemption available for students is if a child has a disability that prevents them from wearing one. Students who come to campus without a mask will be provided with one.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the mandate at the end of November. It also extends to staff, contractors, and volunteers. Those adults are required to be fully vaccinated by the end of January -- or else agree to regular testing at their own expense.
For now ‘fully vaccinated’ means a patient has had two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. In recent weeks, however, the medical community is debating on whether to include booster shots as part of the standard.
Here is where things continue to get complicated. By complying with the federal mandate, Head Start is now at odds with Florida’s state-ban on school mask mandates.
Governor Desantis signed laws back in November forbidding schools from passing mask mandates and local governments from imposing vaccine requirements.
The law leaves the decision for students to wear face masks up to parents. It also allows students to go to school even if exposed to Covid-19 if they’re asymptomatic and haven’t tested positive.
News4JAX is reached out to Lutheran Services, which operates Head Start Programs in Duval County, to inquire about how it plans to handle the state-federal conflict.