Seminole County School Board votes to keep current mask policy

SANFORD, Fla. - After a marathon meeting, Seminole County decided to keep the current policy unchanged, which allows parents opt-out privileges. 

Hundreds of parents lined up to speak at the emergency meeting Thursday. It started at 8:30 a.m. and didn’t wrap up until just after 5 p.m. 

Things got so heated, some parents had to be escorted out by Seminole County deputies, and one man showed up in a beekeeper suit. 

"Let those that want to put their kids in masks do so, and leave ours alone," said one parent. "Mandating them is tragic. Unscientific and damaging."

Though most of the parents who attended the meeting were unmasked, some did attend in support of a change to the mandate, asking that opt-out only be allowed for medical reasons. 

"It is not a matter of your freedom, it is not a matter of schools trying to control us. It is a matter of our safety," said one high school student. 

The district said 17 percent of students have opted out of the current policy.

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