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The Governor and Commissioner of Education are celebrating their first official victory following a slew of challenges to the state’s school masking and quarantine policies.

An administrative law judge has ruled in favor of the state and dismissed a challenge brought by school boards.

Some of the districts that challenged the Department of Health rule requiring a parental opt-out from mask mandates have since come into compliance, including Leon County Schools.

In late October we interviewed Superintendent Rocky Hanna about his decision to back down.

Even before the ruling he indicated he saw the writing on the wall.

“I fundamentally believe in local control, local autonomy, but at the end of the day you may win a battle and you lose a war. And if the forces are just so aligned against you with the executive branch of government, who is controlling the legislative branch of government and influencing the judicial branch of government, at some point you just have to wave the white flag and learn to fight another day. But the fight is worth fighting,” said Hanna.

The school districts could appeal the judge’s ruling, but no decision has been made so far.