Tennessee gov allows opt-out of student mask requirements
Associated PressNASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order Monday letting parents opt their children out of coronavirus-related mask mandates in K-12 schools, after a few school districts issued mask requirements for students and others. McNally on Monday called Lee’s order an “appropriate compromise that strikes a proper balance between freedom and public health.” House Speaker Cameron Sexton led the call for a special session in a letter that spelled out topics broadly, ranging from addressing the authority of six independent health departments in larger counties — including Nashville and Memphis’ Shelby County — to make their own regulations on COVID-19, to looking into the practice of some businesses requiring proof of vaccination to enter their buildings. Though it’s not in the letter, Sexton also floated the idea of a voucher-type program to let parents remove students from schools with mask requirements so they can attend private school using taxpayer money. If school officials were to enforce a mask requirement, Lee said: “I suppose that would be against the law and we would see what would happen there.” Sexton said he’s confident “the immediate need for a special session has been averted in the interim by using executive orders.” But said he hopes the order can be extended to limit health officials in the six larger counties from making certain requirements that apply to businesses.