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Indian River County elementary and middle schools are mandating mask-wearing for students with only medical opt-outs.
The policy took effect on Monday, with Superintendent David Moore telling CBS 12 the previous mitigation efforts weren't working.
"If we don't respond to what we know is not working, we're going to see classroom closures, grade-level closures, school closures."
One school, Beachland Elementary in Vero Beach, already had to close after a number of COVID cases were confirmed there last week. It won't reopen until after Labor Day.
Moore says only a fraction of COVID cases are in the high schools and those students are old enough for the vaccines.
He also said he wasn't afraid to do what he felt needed to be done to protect kids, because he wasn't afraid to get fired, but Moore likely doesn't have to worry about that, at least for now.
A Tallahassee judge on Friday ruled against the state's ban on mask mandates, but the governor promises an appeal is coming.