School board members in Alachua County, who saw their salaries cut due to mandating masks in their schools against Governor DeSantis’ Executive Order 21-175, were repaid Thursday by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE).
Commissioner Richard Corcoran announced the withholding of funds in Alachua and Broward counties in August.
Funding for the payment comes from a new program established by the Biden administration known as the Project to Support America’s Families and Educators grant program, or “Project SAFE.”
Project SAFE can be described as “new” because it was announced on September 9th and is in direct response to states like Florida who have established policies that restrict its school districts from following CDC guidelines. While other states have issued similar policies to Florida, the back and forth between Governor DeSantis and President Biden has been the most evident.
While not directly calling out Governor DeSantis, the press release regarding the September 9th announcement states the Project SAFE will, “provide additional funding to school districts that have funds withheld by their state or are otherwise financially penalized for implementing strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, such as universal indoor masking.”
Even though the Project SAFE press release does not mention Florida, it is safe to say that the USDOE had it in mind, given the fact that Thursday’s payment to Alachua County board members was the first installment of Project SAFE across the country.
“This is the first award under Project SAFE, and funding will support the Florida school district’s efforts to protect students as they return to safe, in-person learning despite the state’s actions to prohibit implementation of strategies to limit the spread of COVID-19, consistent with science-based guidance from the [CDC],” according to Thursday’s press release by the U.S. Department of Education.”
The amount of money awarded to the Alachua County school board was $147,719.
“We should be thanking districts for using proven strategies that will keep schools open and safe, not punishing them. We stand with the dedicated educators in Alachua and across the country doing the right thing to protect their school communities, and with today’s first-ever award under Project SAFE, we are further enabling educators to continue that critical work,” U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cordona, said in statement.
He added, “With these grants, we’re making sure schools and communities across the country that are committed to safely returning to in-person learning know that we have their backs. I commend Alachua for protecting its students and educators, and I look forward to working with them to provide students their best year yet. Every student across the country deserves the opportunity to return to school in-person safely this fall, and every family should be confident that their school is implementing policies that keep their children safe.”
Alachua County is just one of two Florida counties that have been sanctioned by the state, the other being Broward County. There are nine other county school boards in Florida that have placed mask mandates in their schools, but they have yet to be fined.
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Casey Owens is a contributing writer for The Florida Capital Star. Follow him on Twitter at @cowensreports. Email tips to caseyowensreports@gmail.com.
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Ditto, Barb….”our unelected President …. Strikes again!”
The funny part is we pay the admins salaries. If fined, it’s comes from money we pay them. If DOE pays the fine, we pay it from taxes. Screwed anyway.
Todd clearly has some serious daddy issues. I wonder how many people reside in that mush melon of his/hers/its.
Looks like Todd escaped again, better call the Psycho Squad to retrieve him.
What a loser…Ur wife has her hand in a cocaine jar again…
Oh shut up…He LOST
Why do u let the same idiot’s comment on EVERY ARTICLE….SMFH
The “CDC” doesn’t know WHAT there Policies are from Day to Day because they change them to suit their Day to Day beliefs.
@ #educationfirst,
You left out the part of having Biden secure the border… until then any input from you is laughable…
Psychological Warfare is in full swing in the USA. Top down Totalitarianism on display…
@ Mike I wish we still had that bulldog Bondy to give old uncle Joe a big fight.
Ashley Moody??? In my opinion too timid too low key too mild too meek too weak to give Florida’s beloved citizens the in your face fight on the important stuff we deserve.
Now if Moody was litigating with California over the price of oranges…hell yeah Moody’s our girl. But we need a knock em down drag em out fighter like we had in Bondy for the important stuff.
When will we hear that Rocky and his gang of 5 illiberals have had their money taken for their time of non compliance? I dont care if Biden gives the money back…I dont care if later they came in to compliance with the Govorner’s order…just do it.
I think the federal government wants to fight. And I think we should give it to them.
@ Hope… Excellent comment and dead-nuts-on I might add. We can now add trampling on the 14th Amendment to Dementia Joe’s continuous treasonous acts against these United States.
As I’ve mentioned before, it is past time to start calling out Republicans – and all those elected to office – for failing to do their sworn duty and removing this dangerous communist puppet from office. Now many are beginning to understand that the DemoKKKrat’s plan all along was to falsely accuse President Trump of election rigging, and abuse their power to falsely and unconstitutionally attempt to Impeach him. With the help of a complicit and seditious MSM, they scared otherS from justly acting against the election fraud and treasonous acts they are and have been doing.
… very sad…
Biden leaves Americans and Afghans behind, Biden kills little children with drones, Biden fails to protect our borders during a pandemic, Biden lies, Biden and Hunter have committed treason, gas prices have tripled, there is inflation, it is getting worse and the list goes on and on… It has escalated from a clown show to something much worse.
Norway is doing away with ALL Covid restrictions and classifying Covid as a flu.
Meanwhile VP Kamala, clown number two, is appearing on Fiasco of a show The View with her enlarged goiter on display. No wonder we have not seen or heard from her, she appears to be very ill. What’s with the media not informing the public on her health condition that is obviously keeping her from doing her job?
Thank you Governor DeSantis and the new Surgeon General… Florida is Blessed!
Our unelected President and his regime strike again.
I, for one will be watching where Corcoran puts that money thats supposed to go to schools… what a piss ant taking away money from education!!! Morons crying over masks!!!