Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced Monday that he would withhold salaries from members of the Florida Board of Education, superintendents and school board members who enforce face masks on students due to COVID-19 in defiance of his mandate to offer parents a choice, according to a statement.

“With respect to enforcing any financial consequences for noncompliance of state law regarding these rules and ultimately the rights of parents to make decisions about their children’s education and health care decisions, it would be the goal of the State Board of Education to narrowly tailor any financial consequences to the offense committed,” said DeSantis’s office in a statement to WFOR-TV.

DeSantis said he is “protecting parents’ rights” and “ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality education that meets their unique needs.”

Here’s part of his statement to CBS4

“With respect to enforcing any financial consequences for noncompliance of state law regarding these rules and ultimately the rights of parents to make decisions about their children’s education and health care decisions, it would be the goal of the State Board of Education to narrowly tailor any financial consequences to the offense committed. For example, the State Board of Education could move to withhold the salary of the district superintendent or school board members, as a narrowly tailored means to address the decision-makers who led to the violation of law. “Education funding is intended to benefit students first and foremost, not systems. The Governor’s priorities are protecting parents’ rights and ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality education that meets their unique needs.”

DeSantis Office

For more on this story go to CBS4 here.

You can follow Sara A. Carter on Twitter @SaraCarterDC