Brevard Public Schools voted to reinstate masks after Judge John Cooper of the Second Judicial Court of Florida ruled Friday that Florida's Constitution requires that public schools keep students safe. The decision came after BPS school board member Jennifer Jenkins called for an emergency meeting Monday regarding the new ruling. "I will defend my husband's life, my family's life, my community's life, and my colleagues' lives," said Jenkins, Board Member, District 3. "I will not be quiet. [COVID-19] is a risk to our community, and I will absolutely not be on the wrong side of history. This is...

Looking at the mask-less faces of some of the students in his classroom, the AP Government and Economics teacher Sean Regan is relived that he is no longer required to wear a face covering while working.  “I think [masks] should be optional,” Regan said. “I’m glad that everyone has a choice about it. If they do [choose to wear a mask] or not it doesn’t bother me. I’m happy for them either way. I think for some people [masks] make them feel safer which is a good thing. But on the other side, it can make it harder for some people to be understood and communicate in class. I don’t...

COVID-19 mitigation procedures have been updated for the current school year, following school board meetings and notices from the Department of Health. These updates include mask policy, quarantine procedures and one-way hallways. "Right now, masks are voluntary," Assistant Principal Catherine Halbuer said. "It is the students’ choice as to whether or not they wear masks." The school board announced on Aug. 10 that masks are optional in Brevard Public Schools. "I think that masking should not necessarily be optional," physics teacher Joseph Estevez said. "I think it leaves vulnerable...

After losing one of the most looked-forward-to events two years in a row due to COVID-19, seniors Lily Winsten and Jess Marzano expressed disappointment surrounding the Aug. 19 decision to cancel all BPS Homecoming dances. Prior to the cancellation, Winsten, Student Government Association's former secretary, and Marzano, former SGA treasurer, met with SGA sponsor Kaitlyn Hoskins to discuss plans, policies and predictions for the upcoming dance. Although 2021 SGA elections are ongoing and no positions have been elected thus far, Winsten and Marzano met with Hoskins to get an early start on...

Senior McKenna Caban was finishing her third-period AP Capstone class on Aug. 13 when the classroom phone rang and she was told to pack up her things and leave. She was being quarantined due to contact with a positive COVID-19 case. “I was surprised because it was the first week of school but also a bit frustrated because I had to miss classes that day,” Caban said. “I had to email a picture of my vaccine card to [Assistant Principal Catherine] Halbuer so the [Department of Health] could verify my vaccination status.” Caban was quarantined last spring, but at that point she was not...

Sophomore Lillian Goodman begrudgingly sits in silence for a minute following the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. House Bill 529 took effect for Florida public schools on July 1, requiring students to have a moment of reflection each day. “I feel like we all reflect enough in our own time,” Goodman said. “We now have shorter class periods than last year, so even if it’s just a minute, it feels like a waste of time. It just feels like we’re sitting quietly for a minute.” According to Principal Rick Fleming, students may use the silent pause as they wish. “There is no action...