A visibly annoyed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis admonished a group of students for wearing face masks at an appearance.
via: BET
While speaking at the University of South Florida, DeSantis demanded a group of Hillsborough County High School students to remove their masks.
During an interview with WFLA, Kevin Brown Sr., the father of one of the seven students at the governor’s press conference, said DeSantis should “stop bullying kids.”
Dawn Marshall, another parent, told the news station she is very upset about how the governor spoke to her son and the other students and that she instructed him to wear a mask in school.
"I took mine off."
"Did you feel pressure by the governor to do that?"
"A little."
This @HillsboroughSch senior's mom says she's very upset and it was "shocking" for Gov. DeSantis to ask her son & the other high school students to take off their masks. https://t.co/JNYeA9dYci pic.twitter.com/W6WZbAOKh8
— Justin Schecker (@justin_schecker) March 3, 2022
“You do not have to wear those masks,” DeSantis said during the conference. “I mean, please take them off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything and we’ve gotta stop with this COVID theater. So if you want to wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis admonished a group of students for wearing face masks at an indoor event Wednesday, saying it was time to stop what he called “this COVID theater.” The Republican governor has been a fierce opponent of mask and vaccine mandates. https://t.co/TA65UER4iw pic.twitter.com/TmMKgbHOVC
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 3, 2022
“It’s just shocking that the governor told these kids take off your mask,” Marshall added. “He pretty much said take off your mask, it’s stupid, and take off your mask your parents don’t matter.”
Eric Marshall, Dawn’s son, said he felt “a little” pressed by the governor.
“It was more of pressure of an adult figure asking me to do something and it’s just like alright,” he added.
Hillsborough Superintendent Addison Davis has since issued a statement, reading in part: “Our students should be valued and celebrated. It is a student and parents’ choice to protect their health in a way they feel most appropriate.”
Brown Sr. told WFLA he agrees.
“His mother tells him to wear the mask,” he said. “I tell him it’s his choice, so he made that choice and the governor has no right to tell no kid or no one who they can or can’t wear a mask. He doesn’t have that right.”
"I would tell (the governor) to stop bullying kids."
Kevin Brown says Gov. DeSantis had no right to tell his son and the other high school students to take off their masks.
His son decided to keep his mask on during the press conference at USF. https://t.co/JNYeA9dYci @WFLA pic.twitter.com/nnBTJNmfQF
— Justin Schecker (@justin_schecker) March 3, 2022
This is the man Florida voted for.
