Admin
School Board reviews face mask policy EBBA
Posted on 06/01/2021
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During the School Board Work Session, the Orange County School Board 

reviewed school board policy EBBA – Disease Prevention; Face Coverings. Any changes to the policy must go through the rulemaking process governed by Section 120.54, Florida Statutes. The School Board heard from district staff on proposed revisions to the current policy. They also had discussions and received feedback from members of the Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) and Dr. Raul Pino with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County related to the pandemic and the COVID-19 vaccine. 

 

Proposed revisions to School Board Policy EBBA includes:

  • Face Coverings Policy - The revised policy cites the guidance from Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran and Florida’s Surgeon General Scott Rivkees and states the district’s desire to rely upon their guidance for the purposes of the newly enacted Section 768.38 immunity from liability for COVID-19 claims.
  • Section I: Rule - Face coverings will be permitted at the discretion of each student, employee, visitor, or vendor, but not required. 
  • Section I: CDC Guidance or Guidance from Other Governmental Entities - This provision states the school board will allow the superintendent to implement more restrictive face covering requirements if the CDC or other government entities issues such guidance.
  • Section II: Effective Date – The effective date of this policy is “no later than August 2, 2021.” This is before the start of the new school year, but after the expiration of the current memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association. 
  • The rest of the current policy would be repealed. 

 

Policy EBBA Power Point Presentation.

Redline changes to Policy EBBA.

 

 

Next steps: School Board Policy EBBA will be presented at the next Rule Development Workshop on June 17 with public input.  A vote by the school board and final policy adoption will take place at the July 13 school board meeting with public comment. 

 

*Reminder* Work sessions are live-streamed on the School Board’s YouTube channel and 

will be accessible from web browsers on computers or mobile devices.