Miami district drops mask mandates

Florida’s largest school district is dropping mask mandates and will now let parents decide whether their children should wear a face covering in classrooms.

Miami-Dade County Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced the change after a judge ruled that Gov. Ron DeSantis had the legal authority to allow parents to opt out of strict mandates.

Miami-Dade is the nation's fourth-largest district.

Earlier this month, Carvalho had relaxed mask requirements for middle schoolers and high schoolers, and said he would enable elementary students to opt out soon if cases continued to decline.

The Broward County district, the nation's sixth-largest, also has decided to make masks optional for students.

The two large school districts have been at odds with the DeSantis' administration in strictly over requiring students to wear masks.