CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Around 15 anti-mask protestors attended Tuesday evening’s Clarksville-Montgomery County school board meeting to challenge the district’s COVID-19 policies.
This group included Clarksville City Councilwoman Trisha Butler and Montgomery County Commissioner Jason Knight. Some protestors held up signs reading, “My body my choice,” and “Look at my grill, unmask me.”
Address via letter
The meeting proceeded as usual, until it came time for comments from the School Board members. Most took their time to commend other leaders in the district for their work over the last year in overcoming the obstacles COVID-19 presented.
Board member Kent Griffy of District 4 read a letter from Callie Cook, a mother of four whose children attend CMCSS schools.
“I also received a letter from a neighbor, friend, constituent that I am going to read tonight during my time. Hopefully I don’t mess it up too bad,” Griffy said as Cook stood while holding a red folder with the words “Let me speak” written on the front.
“Our goal as parents is to have our children educated in an environment that is free from tyranny. Mask-wearing is a form of tyranny, and remote learning has been shown to be detrimental to social and emotional health,” the letter read.
In the letter, Cook claimed that her previous requests to address the board were denied since the topic of masks was not an agenda item in any board sessions she requested to attend. This policy is noted in the public request to address the board form CMCSS has posted to their website.
“We made the decision to pull our second child, a first grader, and place him in private school because we were not going to send a 6-year-old to school with a mask on his face all day,” the letter said.
Cook’s oldest son, a freshman in high school, begged his parents to let him stay in school with his friends, according to the letter. Over the last year, he has been sent home to quarantine twice after coming in close contact with a positive COVID-19 case.
“He’s always been an A/B honor roll student, he made his first C on the report card, which is heart-breaking, but that grade was nothing compared to watching my son lose his heart, his love for life. He even said to me that he hates life now,” Cook’s letter said.
Comparison to other districts
The letter also made comparisons to other school districts in the state: the Robertson County school board made masks optional Monday evening, and the letter referenced a case in Williamson County.
On Tuesday, a judge on the Williamson County Chancery Court dismissed a lawsuit against the district regarding its mask requirement. The judge found that the case had no legal basis, and said that he could not determine whether or not the district had the authority within their emergency powers granted by the governor to require facial coverings, according to a news release.
“When a child needs a Band-Aid or sunscreen, our school system cannot legally place a Band-Aid or sunscreen without parental permission, and they are forcing facial coverings to be worn even in 90-degree heat,” Cook’s letter said. “Breathing fresh air is a civil liberty.”
After Griffy concluded his reading of Cook’s letter, the action received standing applause from the other protestors who attended Tuesday’s meeting, including County Commissioner Joshua Beal.
House’s response
In his report, Director of Schools Millard House addressed a question from Griffy about the school district’s mask policy for the rest of the school year, as well as the upcoming, 2021-22 school year.
House said the state’s health department recommended that school districts finish the year with masks in the “weekly, director’s call.”
He then addressed the protestors regarding next year’s mask policy and when it will end.
“We want to as soon as possible, but I can’t say definitely right now that a decision will be made one way or the other, but I am tired of wearing this thing as well,” House said gesturing towards his mask.
“There are people on both sides of this conversation. The folks here today obviously want to see students be able to go to school without masks on,” House continued. “There are 3,200 students in our schools that are immune deficient and we know that there’s going to be a different feeling with some of those parents as well.”