Facebook Twitter

Should Tennessee limit school mask mandates? Tell us what you think.

Two women hold signs that say “No mask mandates” and “Unmask the kids and teachers” at a meeting. They have unhappy looks on their faces.

On Saturday, state lawmakers rolled back several COVID restrictions, including limiting the mask mandate authority of public school districts.

AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post

While most Tennesseans were asleep early Saturday morning, state lawmakers passed legislation barring public schools from mandating masks except temporarily in extreme circumstances. Private schools and businesses would have more leniency on issuing such mandates. The legislation, largely approved among partisan lines, was among several rollbacks to COVID restrictions. 

Gov. Bill Lee has yet to sign the bills into law and declined Monday to share his stance on the package of legislation. If enacted,  the policies stand to dial back mitigation efforts in public schools as the pandemic grinds on.

Chalkbeat wants to know what Tennessee students, parents, teachers, and educators think about the plan to curb mask mandates. Share your insight in the form below, or go here if you are on a mobile device.

The Latest
Board hears from critics of district’s decision to bar five activists after May 9 meeting.
Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools is the state’s first to take Facebook, TikTok, and others to court.
Early state results show some progress for the class, but about three-quarters of students fell short of expectations on the state reading assessment.
But up to 60% of third graders could be at risk of being held back as a stricter reading law kicks in.
The definition was the most pressing question lingering as thousands of students head to summer school