JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tia Bess removed her 6-year-old autistic son from Duval County Public Schools when it required masks and enrolled him in a charter school.
"My son has sensory issues. So, something that is too tight or restricting for him, he will rip it off," she explained.
It's also that health concern that is keeping her from getting him vaccinated. "I want a second opinion, a third opinion. I need more information to make an informed decision about anything," Bess told First Coast News.
She supports Gov. DeSantis' push to ban school districts from implementing any COVID-19 mandate.
"This is just another vaccine that protects the children and protects the community," explained Dr. Lucian DeNicola.
He would have liked to have seen school districts add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of these vaccinations that are already required for kids.
He expects another COVID surge during the winter and says a vaccine mandate would help slow the spread.
"24 states are seeing a surge right now. Fortunately, Florida is not one of them, but don't hold your breath because it will be," DeNicola said.
For Bess, she wants more parents to become educated on how vaccines could affect kids with autism. She's second-guessing the vaccines her son already received.
"Watching my son get vaccines, his early childhood vaccines, and then watching him regress and start to have delays because of these vaccines, I am just a concerned mom with a lot of questions," she said.