Dozens of concerned parents, educators, medical professionals and community faith leaders Sunday called on Superintendent Diana Greene and the Duval County School Board to require all students to wear face masks when classes resume next month.
Wearing masks and social distancing or participating from their cars, they rallied outside school district headquarters Sunday evening with homemade signs bearing messages such as "Mask Up For Safe Schools," "Masks Save Lives" and "Masks Until All Kids Can Get Vaccinated."
The rally began with a moment of silence in honor of Dr. Leon Haley Jr., UF Health Jacksonville's chief executive officer who died Saturday in a personal watercraft accident in South Florida. Haley was at the forefront of the city's COVID-19 response.