Face masks burned in protest in Florida 1:15
(CNN) -
Lila Hartley begins seventh grade next week.
She is excited about history class and is trying to figure out how to make more friends when she returns to school in person.
But first, the 12-year-old feels she has to defend her little brother and all the children too young to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
"It's definitely a big problem for me," he said.
"A lot of people are dying and getting sick, and the masks just keep people safe. My brother is not old enough to get the vaccine. So he is vulnerable."
Lila said her 10-year-old brother Will was the first person she thought of when she heard that the Duval County public schools in northeast Florida would not require masks for students in the upcoming school year.
Covid-19 cases are increasing in her county and state and she is concerned.
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The delta variant and back to school
"The delta variant is even more contagious, and it takes more people, younger people to the hospital ... My brother is not vaccinated and if masks are not required and he gets sick, what will happen to him? What will happen to all the children They can't get vaccinated? "she wondered.
Perhaps Lila would have preferred to see "Hamilton" again to memorize more of the lyrics and staging that unites her two passions, history and musical theater.
But instead, she took her notepad and pencil and wrote to the school board and superintendent voicing her concerns, starting with her brother.
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"We are brothers, so we have our rivalries. But I don't know what I would do if he died, especially if it was caused by a place that means so much to him: school," he wrote, advocating the use of masks in classrooms.
Only one member of the school board responded, he told CNN.
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His little brother thinks the letter was a good idea.
He also finds the mask problem frustrating.
"I try not to insist on that, but it's a great precaution. That's why I wear two masks at school. Because I want to make sure I don't get sick," Will said.
The governor's decree on face masks
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order on Friday that prohibits schools from requiring masks from students.
The order threatens to withhold state funds if schools fail to comply.
According to the governor's office, the measure was aimed at "protecting parents' freedom to choose whether their children wear masks."
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DeSantis's move came two days after the Broward County School Board voted unanimously to require masks in the next school year.
Broward County Public Schools, Florida's second-largest district, has since announced that it intends to comply with the governor's decree.
Measures to prevent an outbreak
Duval County Superintendent Diana Greene told reporters Tuesday that she is doing everything legally possible to stop the spread of COVID-19 in schools, following the governor's decree.
She demands that teachers wear masks for the next 30 days, something the governor's decree does not prohibit.
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"A decree has been imposed on us that will dictate what we can and cannot do," he said.
"But I can still highly recommend. I can still model the behavior that I hope to see in employees and students."
Greene said she is vaccinated and plans to wear a mask indoors.
But not everyone will follow that example.
Different positions of parents on the use of masks
Quisha King has no plans to send her two masked daughters to school.
She is part of the local group Moms For Liberty and believes that requiring masks at school is an overreach by the government.
"The best and fairest thing is to give parents the option of whether they want their children to wear a mask or not," he said.
"It gives each person the opportunity to do what they think is best for them."
Matt Hartley, father of Lila and Will, disagrees with that approach.
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"I'm saying, bluntly, she's wrong in the science about it," she said.
"But I also care about their daughters, as much as I care about my children, and I don't want any child to risk being hospitalized, having prolonged covid symptoms, or simply being part of an outbreak in our community."
Jacksonville pediatrician Dr. Bethany Atkins said having all children wear a mask is the best protection for the entire school population.
"We now know that the masks not only prevent me from passing the virus to you, but also that you are not going to transmit it to me," he said.
"We know that vaccinated people have the possibility of transmitting the virus, even if they are not sick."
The decision of the school board
On Tuesday night, about 70 parents and community members, mostly wearing masks, packed the Duval County Public Schools board meeting room plus two rooms for a scheduled meeting.
Dozens of people spoke directly with board members and expressed strong opinions on the schools' mask use policy.
"We've all lived with masks for the last year. What's another 30 days?" Asked Rebecca Cardona of Teamsters Local 512.
"Let's keep everyone safe by requiring masks on school buses, too."
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A few minutes after Cardona spoke, retired Duval County School teacher Betty Bentley took the podium insisting that board members should leave mask decisions to parents.
"Children and parents deserve that right to decide whether they want to wear a mask or not. Teachers deserve that right, too," Bentley said.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend universal use of masks indoors in schools.
In part, to protect unvaccinated students, and also to stop the spread of covid-19.
School activities and concern
King is not worried about his daughters getting COVID-19, he said, because they are healthy.
If a child does not have comorbidities, Atkins said there is a lower chance of an adverse outcome should they become infected.
But he warned: "The possibility is not zero."
Parents on both sides of the issue raised concerns about children's mental health during the pandemic, emphasizing their strong desire for a sense of normalcy.
King was touched by CNN when he explained how one of his daughters was unable to fully participate in a vocal performance that required a lot of hard work.
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"They missed a lot of things they were hoping to do," he said.
"They are trying to do their best for themselves. It is difficult, in every way. It is not easy."
Lila Hartley, who includes being secretary of state among her ambitions, rejects that position.
"It's okay to have your own opinions. You can think what you want," he said.
"But also, these masks have shown that they are saving people."
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