2 Rulings Block Tennessee Governor's Ban on School Mask Mandates

U.S.|Two much national judges regularisation against the Tennessee governor’s prohibition connected disguise mandates.

• Sept. 25, 2021Updated 1:47 p.m. ET

Two national judges successful Tennessee person dealt blows to Gov. Bill Lee’s enforcement bid that allows families to opt retired of schoolhouse mask mandates, ruling successful abstracted cases connected Friday that section districts could necessitate look coverings to protect disabled children portion ineligible challenges advancement done the courts.

It was the 3rd clip successful the past 2 weeks that a justice had suspended the governor’s bid aft parents of peculiar acquisition students filed lawsuits charging the bid violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Mr. Lee is 1 of respective Republican governors who person utilized their enforcement powers to halt schoolhouse districts from implementing disguise policies, playing to blimpish voters who respect specified rules arsenic an infringement connected parental rights and idiosyncratic liberties.

The statement implicit masks successful schools has go highly politicized, arsenic tens of millions of students crossed the state person returned to the classroom. Texas, Florida, Arizona and Iowa are among the states wherever governors person tried to prohibition disguise requirements successful nonstop absorption to section schoolhouse leaders who privation them.

President Biden’s medication has waded into the fray. The national Education Department is investigating orders issued by governors successful 7 states, including Tennessee, to find if allowing parents to disregard disguise mandates for their children discriminates against students with disabilities by restricting their entree to education.

The aforesaid ineligible mentation is astatine the bosom of the lawsuits successful Tennessee. Earlier this month, the Knox County Board of Education had voted against requiring masks successful its schools, bucking guidance from section and national wellness officials. The pursuing day, families who person children with disabilities filed a class-action lawsuit, arguing that the schoolhouse board’s determination did not make a safe, in-person learning situation for children during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge J. Ronnie Greer, of the Eastern District of Tennessee, ruled that schools successful Knox County indispensable enforce a disguise regularisation successful bid to assistance support children with wellness problems portion the suit is pending. He prohibited the politician from imposing his bid until the ineligible conflict is settled.

A akin determination was handed down by U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, of the Middle District of Tennessee, who said connected Friday that schools successful Williamson County and successful the Franklin Special School District tin enforce disguise mandates, besides blocking the governor’s order.

Both schoolhouse systems implemented strict disguise policies done astatine slightest January of adjacent twelvemonth to combat surging infections successful their districts, but Mr. Lee’s order, issued connected Aug. 16, forced the schoolhouse officials to amend their rules to fto students forgo masks, nary questions asked. Once again, parents of peculiar acquisition students filed a lawsuit, arguing that letting immoderate students disregard the disguise rules violated the rights of peculiar acquisition children.

Last week, a 3rd national judge, this clip successful the Western portion of the state, indefinitely blocked the governor’s bid successful Shelby County, saying it was an impediment to children with wellness problems from safely going to schoolhouse during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr. Lee’s bid is acceptable to expire connected Oct. 5, and helium told reporters that helium has not yet decided whether to renew it. A spokeswoman for the politician did not respond to a petition for remark connected Friday.

Justin Gilbert, a lawyer representing parents who filed suits successful Knox, Williamson and Franklin counties, said that 3 national judges “have saved children from an Executive Order built connected wedge-issue politics, not connected science.”

Jack Begg contributed research. Erica Green contributed reporting.