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Tennessee Democrats warn that Republican efforts to undermine mask mandates in schools may trigger lawsuits
August 18, 2021 – Chattanooga Times-Free Press by: Andy Sher – Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s new executive order seeking to allow parents with students in Metro Nashville and Shelby County schools to opt their children out of local COVID-19 mask-wearing mandates is falling flat so far with leaders in the two counties. It comes…
After a tourist’s fall from a Nashville party bus, push for industry regulation intensifies
Aug. 17, 2021 – The Tennessean by: Cassandra Stephenson – A 22-year-old Michigan man tumbled from the rail of a roofless party bus on Lower Broadway in July, landing face-first on the road below. The bus drove on, its rear tires running over the man’s legs. For some city leaders, the incident seemed inevitable. Just two weeks…
Aug. 16, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – Today, state Representative John Ray Clemmons (District 55–Nashville) responded to Governor Bill Lee’s Executive Order No. 84 that allows any parent or guardian to opt their child out of any facial covering requirement in our schools. Lee issued his Executive Order only hours after Dr. Lisa Piercey, Commissioner of the Tennessee…
Aug. 16, 2021 – Tennessee Lookout by: Sam Stockard – Shortly after Gov. Bill Lee concluded a Monday press conference at which he announced parents across the state will have the option to decide if their children wear masks in school or not, responses began to pour in from elected officials and school districts. Lee issued an…
Governor silent on Tennessee healthcare workers facing threats after school board meeting on mask mandates
Aug. 13, 2021 – WKRN by: Gerald Harris – The controversy over mask mandates in schools in Tennessee is making national headlines. Healthcare workers advocating for safety measures to combat COVID-19 in schools faced threatening crowds after the Williamson County School Board voted to require masks for elementary-aged students Tuesday. Governor Bill Lee refused to address…
Gov. Lee undecided on special session over school mask mandates, ‘nothing’s off the table’
August 9, 2021 – WKRN by: Gerald Harris – Governor Bill Lee is stopping short of supporting a special session to ban mask mandates in schools which House Speaker Cameron Sexton is calling for. But Lee is not yet ruling out changing state law. As more Tennessee kids are becoming infected with COVID-19, Governor Lee is not…
Nashville lawmaker hopes mask mandate helps maintain in-person learning for Metro schools
August 9, 2021 – WKRN by: Nickelle Smith & Gerald Harris – Some Nashville leaders are praising the decision by the Metro school board to require masks in schools and on school buses. State Representative John Ray Clemmons said he was there when the board made the decision, and he believed masks will allow students to…
U.S. Reps. Green, DesJarlais question Pentagon chief’s authority to mandate COVID-19 shots for active-duty troops
Aug. 7, 2021 – Chattanooga Times-Free Press by: Andy Sher – Two Tennessee congressmen are among 16 U.S. House Republicans warning U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that it’s “illegal” for him to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for active-duty troops absent the medicine’s full approval by the Food and Drug Administration. “The law of the United States…
August 3, 2021 – Tennessee Lookout by: Sam Stockard – Hours before House Speaker Cameron Sexton threatened to seek a special session targeting school districts over COVID-19 policies, the Davidson County delegation made a push for Metro Nashville Public Schools to mandate masks for students this year. The delegation sent a letter written by Rep.…
NASHVILLE LAWMAKERS REQUEST FACIAL COVERING MANDATE FOR MNPS: Letter to Dr. Battle Follows CDC and AAP Recommendations
August 2, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – Today, state Representative John Ray Clemmons, along with Senator Heidi Campbell, Senator Brenda Gilmore, Representative Bill Beck, Representative Bob Freeman, Representative Darren Jernigan, Representative Bo Mitchell, Representative Jason Powell, and Representative Mike Stewart, delivered a letter to Dr. Adrienne Battle, MNPS Director of Schools, requesting that she issue…