School board members for the Franklin Special School District (FSSD) have voted unanimously to impose mask mandates.

The mandates are scheduled to begin Monday, according to Nashville Public Radio.

Nashville Public Radio quoted parent Erin McCann, who said mask mandates “are a dystopian nightmare.”

“If you impose mask mandates, you are ushering in tyranny,” McCann reportedly said.

“Masking children is child abuse and imposing mandates means advocating for child abuse. We will not comply [and] we will not ask permission for an exemption.”

The website said certain other parents, however, embraced the mandate.

FSSD officials said on their website that they make decisions based upon guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

“Our FSSD Together  theme for 2021-2022 reflects a balance between maintaining the safety of students, staff members, and families in the face of this continued public health uncertainty, while also delivering high quality teaching and learning experiences that focus on excellent and equitable outcomes for all students,” according to the FSSD website.

“As new information is available, or if public health recommendations for schools change, we will keep our community informed.”

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee last week issued an executive order that grants parents the right to opt their children out of a school’s COVID-19 mask mandate if a school board or a health board enacts one over a district.

“I have signed an EO that allows parents to opt their children out of a school mask mandate if either a school board or health board enacts one over a district,” Lee said on his Facebook page.

“Districts will make the decisions they believe are best for their schools, but parents are THE authority and will be the ultimate decision-makers for their individual child’s health and well-being.”

Lee’s executive order says that a student’s parent or guardian has the right to opt out of any order or requirement for a student in kindergarten through the 12th-grade to wear a face covering at school, on a school bus, or at school functions. To do so they must notify staff members at their local education agency or their student’s school — and in writing.

“Any law, order, rule, regulation that would otherwise limit the enforceability of this order is hereby suspended,” according to Lee’s order.

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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].