Meleah Lyden and Emma McAvoy
Fresh Take Florida
To party or not to party? As college students across Florida wrestled during the pandemic over public health restrictions, including whether it was safe to visit bars, nightclubs or house parties, Gov. Ron DeSantis weighed in.
The Republican governor said Florida was exploring a bill of rights that would protect students – generally at lower risk from the virus – from being punished by their universities if they violated social-distancing rules, mask-wearing violations or other public health measures.
“It’s incredibly draconian that a student would get potentially expelled for going to a party,” DeSantis said in September. “That’s what college kids do, and they’re at low risk. And I just think that we’ve got to be reasonable about this and really focus the efforts on where the most significant risk is.”