State Sen. Jack Johnson: Williamson County students deserved school year without masks | Opinion
Our children need to return to in-person learning with zero mandates. They deserve to see their friends’ and teachers’ faces without masks this year
- Jack Johnson represents Williamson County in the Tennessee State Senate. He serves as the Republican Majority Leader in the Senate.
We need to get our children back into classrooms and back into a normal routine.
Over the past few months, I have heard from so many parents in Williamson County whose children have fallen behind in their studies. Don’t take my word for it or the first-hand accounts of parents across the state.
The spring 2021 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) state-level results showed in no uncertain terms that school shutdowns and remote learning have dramatically impacted our children’s education.
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We must get back to normal
The best way to do this is to trust parents. Williamson County parents have the resources they need to make the best possible decisions for their children’s educational needs, and we should let them. Tennessee has 147 school districts. All but a handful are allowing parents to decide if their child should wear a mask at school.
In Williamson County, the School Board voted earlier this week to require students, staff and visitors at elementary schools to wear face masks while indoors and on buses beginning on Aug.12 and ending on Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 11:59 p.m.
I want to be clear: many of the Williamson County School Board members are my friends, but like most friends, we don’t always see eye-to-eye. On this particular issue, I vehemently disagree with the board’s decision.
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Under current law the state has delegated decisions regarding mask mandates to local school boards. The time is now for us to act.
Parents should decide if their children wear masks in school
This is outrageous
Our children need to return to in-person learning with zero mandates. They deserve to see their friends’ and teachers’ faces without masks this year.
I’m the father of one current Williamson County student and two graduates, and I stand with every single one of the parents who spoke out against the mask mandate. It should be up to parents to decide if their child wears a mask at school, period.
Those of us involved in public policy relative to education should work to keep our schools open and provide educational resources for our parents to make the best decisions for their kids. Parents should remain in control of their children's health and education.
For these reasons, I am working with Gov. Lee and other legislative leaders to return power back to the parents. I fully support convening a special session of the General Assembly if necessary in order to get this done. All options are on the table.
It’s time for parents to take control of what's in the best interest of their children, and as Williamson County’s State Senator, I will continue to support them as I have done in the past.
Jack Johnson represents Williamson County in the Tennessee State Senate. He serves as the Republican Majority Leader in the Senate.