August 30, 2021
Voted to mask every kid
Every student in Brevard schools, with no way for parents to say no. The vote was 3 to 2, and Jennifer Jenkins was one of the three.
Brevard County School Board meeting minutes, August 30, 2021
Space Coast moms and dads
Our kids.
Our call.
Jennifer Jenkins sat on the Brevard School Board and decided parents did not get a say. Now she wants a seat in Congress.
2Votes to mask every kid in Brevard schools
3 to 2Both times. She was one of the three.
$1.3MIn legal bills Brevard schools paid
The votes
She masked every kid. Parents got no say.
Pre-K through 12th grade. No form to sign. No way for a mom or dad to say no.
September 21, 2021
Voted to keep it going
Another 3 to 2 vote. The only way out for a child was a doctor's note.
Florida Today, September 21, 2021 (kept on file by the Florida Department of Education)October 2021
The state penalized Brevard schools
The Florida Board of Education punished Brevard County schools over the mask rule.
WFIT radio, October 8, 2021When parents spoke up
Parents came to the microphone. Jennifer Jenkins and her cronies silenced us.
A federal court threw the rules out
While Jennifer Jenkins was on the board, the board made rules about what parents could say at meetings. A federal appeals court ruled them unconstitutional. The lawsuit named all five board members, including her. Only the claim against the board chair went forward on appeal.
$982,131.25
What Brevard schools paid in legal bills for that fight.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, case 23-10656, October 8, 2024. Brevard County School Board legal services ledgers, dated June 9, 2026 (public records).Then she sued her own school board
In March 2023 she took the board she sat on, and its chairman, to court in a fight over public records. The district was still getting bills for it as of May 2026.
$348,978.52
Florida Today, March 8, 2023: "Brevard school board member Jenkins sues Susin over public records fight". Jenkins v. Brevard County School Board and Susin, Fourth Amended Complaint, Brevard County Circuit Court case 05-2023-CA-018437, December 18, 2023.The bill
$1.3 million
For lawyers. Meant for our classrooms.
| The parents' free speech lawsuitLegal bills from January 2022 to February 2026 | $982,131.25 |
| Jenkins sues her own school boardLegal bills from December 2022 to May 2026 | $348,978.52 |
| Total Brevard schools paidBrevard County School Board legal services ledgers, June 9, 2026 | $1.3 million+ |
November 3
She did this on a school board. Imagine Congress.
Jennifer Jenkins ran for U.S. Senate, then for Congress in Daytona, and now for Congress here. Parents in Brevard already know how she votes when it is our kids on the line.
Quick answers
What parents are asking.
How did Jennifer Jenkins vote on masks in Brevard schools?
She voted yes twice. On August 30, 2021 the Brevard County School Board voted 3 to 2 to require masks for every student with no parent opt-out. On September 21, 2021 it voted 3 to 2 to extend the mandate with a medical opt-out only. The Florida Board of Education penalized the district in October 2021.
What happened with the school board's rules for parents speaking at meetings?
While Jennifer Jenkins was on the board, it adopted rules about what parents could say during public comment. In October 2024 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled those rules unconstitutional. The lawsuit named all five board members, including her. Only the claim against the board chair went forward on appeal.
How much did Brevard schools pay in legal bills?
More than $1.3 million, according to Brevard County School Board legal services ledgers dated June 9, 2026: $982,131.25 for the parents' free speech lawsuit and $348,978.52 for the lawsuit Jenkins filed against her own school board in 2023.
What is Jennifer Jenkins running for now?
Congress in Florida's 8th Congressional District, which includes Brevard County. Earlier in the same election cycle she ran for U.S. Senate and then for Congress in Florida's 6th District. Election Day is November 3, 2026.
Where this comes from
- Brevard County School Board meeting minutes, August 30, 2021: the roll call from the emergency meeting, August 30, 2021.
- Florida Today, September 21, 2021 (kept on file by the Florida Department of Education): the vote to keep the mandate going, with a medical opt-out only.
- WFIT radio, October 8, 2021: the State Board of Education's penalties.
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, case 23-10656, October 8, 2024: the ruling that the board's public comment rules were unconstitutional.
- Institute for Free Speech case page: the case history from the plaintiffs' lawyers.
- Brevard County School Board legal services ledgers, dated June 9, 2026 (public records): two ledgers covering January 2022 to February 2026 and December 2022 to May 2026.
- Florida Today, March 8, 2023: "Brevard school board member Jenkins sues Susin over public records fight": Jenkins files suit against the school board and its chairman.
- Jenkins v. Brevard County School Board and Susin, Fourth Amended Complaint, Brevard County Circuit Court case 05-2023-CA-018437, December 18, 2023: her own court filing in the case.
- NBC News, September 2025. Florida Politics, February 5, 2026. Florida Phoenix, May 5, 2026: the three races.