New policy for school district after Venice chiropractor signs 500+ mask exemptions Sarasota students

A chiropractor in Venice provided more than 500 medical exemption forms for children attending Sarasota County Schools who did not want to wear a mask. 

Dan Busch, a chiropractor at Twin Palms Chiropractic, has signed roughly one-third of all medical exemption forms turned in district-wide, district spokesman Craig Maniglia said Wednesday morning. 

As a result, the district has tightened up its policy of what categories of medical professionals can sign an exemption. 

District staff began enforcing a new mask policy on Monday, requiring students to either wear a mask or provide a form signed by a licensed medical professional, stating that the child "cannot wear a mask or a face shield (or both) due to a medical, physical or psychological contraindication." 

After the influx of forms signed by Busch, and amid rumors that his office was distributing pre-signed forms, Superintendent Brennan Asplen issued an updated mask exemption form Tuesday evening stating that exemption forms can only be signed by medical doctors, osteopathic physicians licensed or advanced registered nurse practitioners.

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In a statement accompanying the new rule, Asplen said the new policy was "so that we can be consistent in our consideration of whether medical reasons warrant individuals to be exempt from the policy and to prevent abuse."

Bryan Kessler, a Venice attorney representing Busch, said the new policy unfairly raises questions about the credentials of chiropractors as medical professionals. Plus, he said the medical professionals listed in the policy are pulled from a statute that is specific to immunizations, not face masks. 

Busch "is interested to know whether the School Board will adopt a policy to no longer accept school physicals from chiropractors?" Keller wrote in an email. "It seems that if the School Board is taking the position that chiropractors are unqualified to sign the mask exemption forms, then it goes without saying they are likewise unqualified to determine whether a student is physically fit enough to participate in school athletics. Perhaps the School Board can clarify its position on this in the future." 

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Various media reports over the last week have shown families in lines wrapping around Busch's practice, and some families have told news reporters that they simply grabbed a pre-signed form off of the counter. 

Kessler said Busch was still considering his options. 

School District officials are currently trying to figure out how to handle the more than 500 students with forms signed by Busch. Based on the new policy, it appears likely that their medical exemption will no longer be accepted, although official word has not yet come down as to what options those families have. 

Ryan McKinnon covers schools for the Herald-Tribune. Connect with him at ryan.mckinnon@heraldtribune.com or on Twitter: @JRMcKinnon. Support the Sarasota Herald-Tribune by subscribing today.