A Florida chiropractor reportedly signed more than 500 medical exemptions for parents who want their children to opt for the new mask warrant issued by Sarasota County, one of several challenging rulers. Ron DeSantis
Arizona Governor Ron DeSantis allocates M to federal funds for hospitals using antibody treatments against coronavirus As Biden hesitates, a two-man race for GOP 2024 nomination begins to take shape‘(R) ban on mask requirements in schools.
Spokesman for Sarasota County Schools Craig Maniglia told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that local chiropractor Dan Busch has signed about a third of all forms of medical exemption he had received in response to his mask warrant, which officially went into effect Monday.
According to the medical exemption form, a copy of which the school district shared with The Hill, students must wear masks unless they provide a form signed by a medical professional stating “that the person has a medical, physical or psychological that prevents the person from being able to safely wear the cover of the face “.
Rumors have circulated that Busch would have submitted pre-signed forms without meeting with the parents. However, Busch denied this claim in an interview with NBC’s local affiliate, WFLA.
“I myself will tell you that I have not given exemptions to any father I have not met,” he said.
“This is not a political thing,” Busch explained. “I’m not anti-mask or anti-vax, but I’m a person in favor of freedom and choice.”
Busch, who runs Twin Palms Chiropractic in Venice, Florida, said “any licensed Florida physician” can sign a mask exemption form.
“Your dentist could do this, your psychiatrist could do it, your psychologist could do it,” he added. “You were seeing things like respiratory distress, hypoxia, asthma, anxiety, depression, there are a lot of qualifying conditions.”
Bryan Kessler, a lawyer representing Busch, said in a statement shared with The Hill that his client “has an established policy … of meeting in person with a student and a parent and / or legal guardian to determine whether it is a medical condition within the scope of there is a practice as a licensed chiropractor that warrants the granting of a mask exemption in accordance with the guidelines established by the Sarasota County School Board. “
“Dr. Busch flatly denies personal distribution of pre-signed mask exemptions contrary to this established policy,” the attorney said, adding that Busch was conducting an internal review to determine whether staff members without their consent and knowledge “.
“Dr. Busch is willing to work with the school board to determine if a mask waiver form signed by him or someone in his office is genuine in an effort to combat this alleged activity,” Kessler said.
After reports on the hundreds of exemptions signed by Busch, district superintendent Brennan Asplen posted an updated policy Tuesday evening saying the exceptions would only be accepted if they were signed by a doctor, an authorized osteopathic doctor or a professional nurse.
Asplen advocated change as a way to “be consistent in our consideration of whether medical reasons justify people being exempt from the policy and avoiding abuse. ”
Sarasota is one of ten school districts in Florida that has challenged the ban on DeSantis ’mask mandate, despite threats from state officials to withhold funds for breaching the executive order.
Parents opposed to local mask warrants have been looking for ways to circumvent the requirements, and a Florida hospital last week said it had withdrawn a local doctor who posted on social media that he would do so. provide mask deactivation letters to parents at a price of $ 50 each.
The Hill has contacted Busch’s office for additional comments.
Updated 1:25 p.m.