2 Florida school districts sanctioned for mandating masks

• The DeSantis administration, which faces legal challenges over the ban, argues that the Alachua and Broward County public school districts went against the order by requiring a doctor's note for students who wish to opt out of mask-wearing. Other districts only require a note from parents.
• The actual penalties had yet to be announced, but DeSantis has threatened to withhold pay from school officials as retaliation.
• School officials who spoke before the board called the move necessary, especially in districts with vaccine shortages. Children under 12 are not yet eligible for vaccines.

The big picture: DeSantis is one of several governors who have signed laws or executive orders banning mask mandates, though Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, also a Republican, has said he regrets the decision.

• The Biden administration has offered to step in with financial assistance if DeSantis follows through with withholding funding from schools that implement a mandate.
• The state reported nearly 3 million cases as of last week and more than 40,000 deaths.
• Several counties across the U.S. have temporarily suspended school because of a surge in coronavirus cases among students and faculty early in the academic year, Axios' Jacob Knutson writes.