Nashville schools vote to require masks
(The Center Square) – Tennessee’s second-largest school district voted Thursday to require students and staff to wear masks indoors and on buses for the upcoming school year.
The Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education voted 8-1 to adopt the policy at a special meeting after Adrienne Battle, director of Metro Nashville Public Schools, recommended enacting the policy the day before.
“I wish that more Americans had taken advantage of the life-saving vaccine that has been available to them, so that the pandemic would be less of a factor in the lives of our students and a universal mask mandate would not be necessary,” Battle said in a statement. “I’m hopeful that more community members will get the vaccine so that we can mitigate the spread of the virus and return to a normal school setting.”
Tennessee’s largest school district, Shelby County Schools in Memphis, also is mandating masks for employees and students. Both school districts are requiring masks against the wishes of Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton.
Sexton, R-Crossville, said this week wearing masks in schools should be a parental decision, not a school district decision, and threatened to ask Gov. Bill Lee to call a special session if schools attempt to close, require students to wear masks or attempt to separate students based on vaccination status.
“We are starting discussions with House members (about a special session),” Sexton said Thursday after the Metro Nashville schools vote.
Sexton said earlier in the week a special session would focus on legislation that would give parents more choices in using state money to educate their children.
“The issue of mask requirements in schools was completely foreseeable during the general session,” Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, tweeted Thursday. “Any attempt to do a special session for this is just grandstanding, and makes things worse.”
Nashville public school students return to class Tuesday. Shelby County students start school Monday.
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