TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The court win for the Florida Education Association's legal fight over reopening schools was short-lived.
A judge's ruling Thursday gave control of opening schools to local districts.
On Friday, an appeals court judge reinstated a stay in the case.
What You Need To Know
- Judge reissues stay on Florida Education Association lawsuit over on-campus school start
- FEA had sued over executive order requiring all districts to open schools amid pandemic
- Read more about the union’s lawsuit here
- BACK-TO-SCHOOL: Central Florida | Tampa Bay
This means the Governor Ron DeSantis's mandate requiring schools to reopen for face-to-face learning is back in effect. Several districts across the state returned to campuses last week with more beginning school Monday.
The teachers union said they're disappointed but will keep pushing forward with their lawsuit.
In a released statement, FEA officials said: “This is not about closing schools or opening schools. This is about allowing local districts to do what is best to protect local families."
The FEA had sued to block an executive order requiring all schools to open five days a week for in-person instruction, and on Monday, Circuit Judge Charles Dodson sided with the union.
He ruled that local school districts have the right to decide what’s best for their students and teachers, regardless of the order from the state’s education commissioner, Richard Corcoran.
That ruling was automatically stayed when the state filed an appeal, but the FEA filed an emergency motion to keep the ruling in effect.
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