Amy Love

Opinions Editor

aml7458@psu.edu

At the beginning of March, Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis attended an event that was a conference with a photo op. This happened at the University of South Florida in Tampa, where DeSantis was announcing the $20 million in funding that was dedicated to cyber security and IT training opportunities. 

At this conference, there was a small group of students from Middleton High School. These students chose to wear masks to the event, and were standing behind DeSantis in the photo op.. 

DeSantis had issues with this. He brought attention to these students, saying “You do not have to wear those masks. I mean please take them off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything. And we’ve gotta stop with this COVID theater. This is ridiculous.” 

CDC guidelines only recommended individuals to wear masks in a high transmission area and in areas with lower transmission, masks are not needed unless the individual is at a higher risk for an illness. 

University of South Florida’s COVID protocol consists of expecting people to wear masks, however they are aware that “some people will choose to wear masks, others will not. Each individual’s decision should be respected.”  

This protocol is clearly not enforced because DeSantis did not respect the student’s wishes at all. It is not his business on why they are wearing one or not. it should not matter why they are wearing one, just respect the wishes of those who want to wear a mask. It will not have any effect on anyone else if someone dares to wear masks in another’s prescense. 

Addison Davis, the superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools, stated that the students were there to be spotlighted. She also said the following: “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.” 

The high school students chose to wear masks. They offered no complaints of the lack of others wearing a mask, but chose to wear one for themselves. It was their decision, so why does it matter if they are wearing one? If everyone else has to have the freedom of choosing not to wear one, then should everyone also have the choice to wear one without judgment? 

It was an ill move of a governor to respond to a situation like this, especially one who attempts to promote “freedom.” 

Nikki Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner and Democratic gubernatorial candidate said the following in regards to the governor’s behavior, “I can’t believe a grown man would bully high school students like that. It’s clearly unhinged. The governor talks a lot about freedom, but only if he gets his way. That’s not freedom, that’s dictatorial and unacceptable.”  

As Fried said, it’s only considered “freedom” if it fits the concept that Florida’s state government is attempting to push. These students should be able to wear a mask if they want to and should not be reprimanded for it, especially by the governor. For someone who holds such a high and prominent office in government for Florida, he is showing that it is okay to treat others with that type of behavior, to judge those who are wanting to still wear a mask. There is nothing wrong with wearing a mask if someone wants to, there is no need to make a public spectacle over it.

Christina Poshaw, DeSantis’s press secretary, told the news source Miami Herald: “After two years of mixed messages and social engineering from health authorities and media, the governor wants to make sure everyone is aware of the facts and data now, so they can feel free and comfortable without a mask.” 

The way this governmental office dedicated to promoting being comfortable without a mask was putting children on the spot for choosing to wear a mask for themselves. Apparently, a few people wearing a mask push the idea that wearing masks are “uncomfortable,” despite the majority of the room deciding not to wear one. 

It was unnecessary for the governor of Florida to say these comments. There is no justification of why he did what he did, and he made comments that he never should have and had no right to do so in the first place.