When he recently spoke at USF, Gov. Ron DeSantis stood behind a podium labeled: “Workforce Education.” He was there, after all, to make an education-related cybersecurity announcement of a $20 million state initiative. In a nanosecond, however, the podium morphed into his bully pulpit. Behind him were seven high school students, some in masks. DeSantis scolded those wearing masks, which he considers a symbol of paranoia and heavy-handed government. “This is not doing anything,” he chided. “We’ve got to stop with this COVID theater. … This is ridiculous. Please take them off.”
DeSantis is, well, DuhSantis. He’s already been unmasked. Maybe Will Weatherford, the former Republican Speaker of the Florida House and current chair of USF’s board of trustees, didn’t mind the off-putting optics, but others surely saw the dismissive, insulting demeanor for what it was.
And it was also a teachable moment, especially for parents. Don’t let your kids be political props, especially for this blatantly partisan governor. Masking is not unreasonable, but bullying students is.