Education secretary says schools with mask mandate bans can access federal funds

• In Florida and Texas school districts are defying executive orders from their governors that effectively prohibit local officials from mandating masks in classrooms.

The big picture: Cardona said that schools in anti-mask mandate states can still access these federal funds for school reopenings because the funds were approved by Congress.

• "They do not have to get the green light from the governor to use these funds. They're made available to them," he said.
• Cardona added that he called the superintendents of Broward and Alachua Counties in Florida to "personally to let them know that."

State of play: Last week the Biden administration said the Department of Education's civil rights office could start investigations if state policies are suspected to be violating students' civil rights by prohibiting masks.