The final three counties in Florida, Miami-Dade, Broward, and Alachua have ended mandatory in-school masking following a prolonged legal battle between school districts and the state.

Sarasota County CCEP Inflames Covid Tensions With School Exemptions

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL. – Students returning to school are exempt from wearing a face mask, provided they have a signed issue letter from a doctor.

The enforcement was issued on August 30 by the Sarasota school district and applied to all students across the county. However, school officials noticed an increase in medical exemption certificates signed by one man: a Sarasota chiropractor named Dan Busch, DC, CCEP.

Mr. Busch is believed to be responsible for signing over 500 medical exemption certificates that excuse students from adhering to face-covering rules. No one suggests that Mr. Busch is not an excellent chiropractic practitioner. Instead, the problem lies with his signing of medical certificates not related to his field of practice.

A valid medical exemption certificate that excuses anyone from wearing a face-covering relates to breathing problems that a covering might exacerbate. As a back, muscle, and spine specialist who is not a medical doctor, many believe Mr. Busch has no business signing such a form. Further, Mr. Busch’s practice website holds no information regarding his knowledge of epidemiology or respiration.

In response, Brennan Asplen, the current Superintendent of the Sarasota school district, has amended the face mask medical exemption certificates. The forms are now limited to a select list of medical professionals that can sign them.

This includes osteopathic medical physicians, medical doctors, and qualified nurses. A few signings might have gone unnoticed, but it is alleged that Mr. Busch’s office distributed pe-signed forms to students in return for money.

Also, the school district might not have taken the matter seriously if it weren’t for the seriousness of the face mask mandate. Face coverings are warranted to help combat the still severe nature of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Two years from the start of the deadliest virus since the Spanish flu, millions of people globally still suffer while thousands succumb.

In addition, Coronavirus is an inherent danger to younger people, many of whom are yet to receive a vaccination. The vaccine isn’t yet entirely prevalent throughout the adult population, and children between 12 and 15 years old are at the most risk since mass vaccination of this age group hasn’t yet started.  

There are currently 3.31 million recorded cases of Covid-19 in Florida alone, with 46,324 fatalities.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines, there are three authorized categories for medical exemption:

  • Children under the age of 2 years.
  • A disabled person who cannot safely wear a face covering.
  • Wearing a mask would create a health and safety issue.

Understandably, toddlers aren’t going to wear a mask as they will pull it off. And it isn’t viable to try and force one to do so while disabilities are a genuine and valid excuse. Instead, as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to destroy lives, some seek to monetize the misery. Unfortunately, as recent events suggest, abuse of authority and medical status is a method that isn’t impervious to the savage nature of human greed.

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