Students in Williamson County will have to wear COVID-19 masks whether they — or their parents — like it or not.
According to the Nashville-based News Channel 5:
The Williamson County School Board voted to require students, staff and visitors at elementary schools to wear face masks while indoors and on buses beginning Aug. 12 and to end Tues. Sept. 21 at 11:59 p.m.
The decision was made Tuesday night after a lengthy and heated special-called board meeting that dozens of parents attended.
The vote was seven to three, and applied only to elementary school students and staff, according to the Nashville-based WKRN.
Parents in Williamson County who insist they — and only they — have the right to force a COVID-19 mask on their children faced off Tuesday night against school board members.
Board members considered whether to implement a mask mandate to combat the Delta variant of COVID-19.
Clay Travis, of Outkick the Coverage and also The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, spoke during the public portion of Tuesday’s meeting. He said two of his children attend Williamson County schools.
“We teach our kids that facts matter. That is why they go to school. The facts are these. Masks don’t work. There isn’t a single scientific data that has ever proven that masks work. Also, let’s talk about risk analysis. I feel bad for all of these people walking around in masks and engaging in cosmetic theater thinking that they are making a difference against COVID. They aren’t,” Travis said.
“Here is the truth. Our kids, under 25-years-old, there is a one in a million chance that they are going to die of COVID. They are more likely to be struck by lightning. They are more likely to die of the seasonal flu. Have any of you ever mandated masks for the seasonal flu? Well, shame on you because every kid in Williamson County schools has been under more danger from the seasonal flu every year than they are for COVID. I would tell every parent here don’t let your kids wear masks.”
The parents who arrived showed up as a crowd that spilled over into the outside hallway. They said the fact that WCS Board members were even considering a mask mandate enraged them. Many parents stood outside the board meeting room and chanted “No more masks” over and over.
Another parent, whose name The Tennessee Star could not determine, warned board members that he and others “will come for you in a non-violent way.”
“Candace Owens is coming for you. The Deplorables will come for you politically and financially,” the man said.
“We will vote you out. If you own a business we will boycott your business. In the past you dealt with sheep, and now you will deal with lions.”
But not everyone who attended said they opposed a mask mandate.
Several area physicians pleaded with board members to mandate COVID-19 masks upon students. One of them, Brent Maxwell, said children are filling up Intensive Care Units nationwide and that children “are vectors for disease transmission.”
“To the people in this room who don’t agree with me — we will have school shutdowns and needless tragedies,” Maxwell said.
Another parent, whose name was not audible as he spoke, told board members that they had zero authority to mandate masks.
“Do temperature checks or even contract trace. Education is your only primary duty,” the man said.
“You have poked the cubs. And we are p***ed off.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
