Did DeSantis order Santa Rosa schools to reopen?

What the records establish

The text records at issue do not establish that Gov. Ron DeSantis personally ordered Santa Rosa County schools to reopen. They also do not, on their own, show that the governor made the reopening decision for the county’s school district.

Order versus involvement

A direct order would need to identify DeSantis as the official giving the instruction and state that Santa Rosa County schools were required to reopen. The records identified here do not provide that clear directive.

That distinction matters because a governor’s involvement in a broader school policy would not automatically prove that he ordered a particular county school system to reopen. The question is whether the text records contain a direct instruction from DeSantis to Santa Rosa County officials or schools.

What remains clear

The claim that DeSantis ordered Santa Rosa schools to reopen is not established by the text records identified here. Any account of the decision should distinguish between a statewide policy, communications involving state officials and a direct order to Santa Rosa County.

The Pensacola News Journal reported on the text records and the question surrounding DeSantis’ role. No primary record establishing a direct reopening order is linked here.