Cardona: States can't deny federal funds to school districts that mandate masks

Emboldened by support from the Biden administration, a sixth school district in Florida on Friday defied Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates. Cardona has vowed that the federal government would “assist any districts facing repercussions” after Florida’s Board of Educators threatened to withhold state funding for school districts that refused to reverse their mask requirements.

Schools “do not have to get the green light from the governor” to use these federal funds and “I call these superintendents personally to let them know that,” Cardona said on NBC News’ Meet the Press Sunday.

“Across the country, we have children returning to school and we’re excited about that but we have to do everything in our power to keep them safe,” he said. “I spoke to the superintendents of those two communities and I let them know that we have their back. And yes, they can draw down on the funds that were promised to them so they can safely reopen schools.”