“Please take them off”: DeSantis scolds' students for wearing face masks

Written by Kristen Schmutz

Belden Communications News 

During a press conference held Wednesday at the University of Florida regarding funding for cybersecurity education, Governor Ron DeSantis made his frustrations with face masks known when he scolded a group of students who were wearing facial coverings while standing behind the podium.

“You do not have to wear those masks,” Governor DeSantis said as he approached the podium to make his remarks. “I mean, please take them off. Honestly, it is not doing anything, and we have gotta stop with this COVID theater. So, if you want to wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous.”

The students who attended the cybersecurity event were from the local Middleton High School.

"Students have the choice to protect their health in a way they feel most appropriate," said Superintendent Addison Davis. “We are excited our students from Middleton High School, were highlighted as part of the statewide focus around cybersecurity education. Our Cybersecurity pathway at MHS has had tremendous success through students earning industry certifications, participating in internships, and leading the way in computer systems and information technology. As always, our students should be valued and celebrated. It is a student and parent’s choice to protect their health in a way they feel most appropriate. We are proud of the manner in which our students represented themselves and our school district.”

Governor DeSantis made a series of moves last year to block mask mandates, even signing an executive order withholding state funds from schools that impose them while also framing masking and vaccination as a matter of personal freedom. 

Public health officials have also said that no one should be criticized for wearing a face mask following the CDC's announcement that Americans who had been masking no longer had to do so last week. 

AOL News, Yahoo News, and News Channel 8 were sources used in the making of this information.