The new surgeon general for the state of Florida signed off on new school rules that allow parents to choose whether or not to quarantine their children after a COVID exposure.
Quarantines for students exposed to the virus were previously mandated to stop the spread, but now Dr. Joseph Ladapo will leave the decision up to parents. Ladapo put the policy in place on Wednesday, his second day in the position.
Under the policy, legal guardians can choose whether or not to send asymptomatic children to school without restriction once exposed or quarantine them for no more than seven days.
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Governor Ron DeSantis announced the change during a press conference on Wednesday.
"Bottom line is healthy kids have the right to be in school, parents have the right to choose," DeSantis said.
Now kids will not be forced to miss out on attending school, school-sponsored activities, or being on school property when they are asymptomatic. Students will also no longer be mandated to produce a negative COVID-19 test.
Previously, close contacts with anyone who later tested COVID positive forced thousands of students around the nation into quarantine, whether or not they developed any symptoms.
On the other end of the spectrum, in New York, Tarja Parssinen with Western New York Education Alliance shared with WBEN's Susan Rose and Brian Mazurowski that Erie County remains more restrictive than the rest of the state with a mandatory 10-day quarantine after any exposure.
"For the first time, we are all in agreement that our kids should be back in school, which is fantastic," Parssinen shared. "But the only thing getting in the way right now is Erie county's quarantine rule, which is right now more restrictive than the New York State Department of Health as well as the CDC."
Parssinen argued that she believes the county's quarantine rules are "outdated, unnecessary and inhumane." Right now, the county is having students quarantine for longer than what is recommended.
While in Florida, the restrictions are going out the window, leaving all decisions up to parents; Parssinen is only asking for an ease in restrictions. This would include allowing kids to test instead of being forced into quarantine and following CDC guidelines.
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Meanwhile, the policy change in Florida is being called dangerous by some while Senate Democratic leader Lauren Book called the new Florida Surgeon General "a doctor of disinformation."
"His first official move puts schoolchildren at risk and places his dangerous denial of science on full display," Book said. "I urge Florida school districts to follow sensible health policies to ensure the safety and well-being of students, teachers, and staff."
