'We will find you': Tennessee parents protest school mask mandate; people in masks heckled
By: Doha Madani (NBC News)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Aug. 11, 2021, 8:55 PM UTC By Doha Madani
Angry protests erupted in Franklin, Tennessee, after a school district reinstated a mask mandate for elementary school students, with some people yelling at and heckling those wearing masks in the parking lot at a meeting about the measure.
The Williamson County Board of Education approved the mandate Tuesday night in a special session. It will begin Thursday and run until at least Sept. 12, according to the district. People opposed to the mandate gathered outside the meeting, chanting, "We will not comply."
In one video, a man screamed at a person wearing a mask on the way to a car, saying, "We know who you are." The same man said later, "You'll never be allowed in public again."
Another man said, "You can leave freely, but we will find you."
Carol Birdsong, executive director of communications for the school district, said in a statement Wednesday that while parents are passionate about their children's education, "there's no excuse for incivility."
"Our families and staff represent a wide variety of thoughts and beliefs, and it is important in our district that all families and staff have the opportunity to be represented and respected," the statement said.
Children have shown more symptoms with the delta variant of the coronavirus than with previous strains, and they have increasingly been hospitalized in recent weeks. Children's hospitals in states that have high transmission rates have begun to battle bed shortages, NBC News reported Monday.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency use authorizations for Covid-19 vaccines for adults and children over age 12, leaving younger children more vulnerable to infection. The FDA said last month that it hopes to offer authorization for children under 12 by early to midwinter.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all children wear masks when they return to school this year.
Community members were were given a minute apiece to speak during a public comment section at the beginning of Tuesday's meeting in Franklin. Comments split between those who pushed for the mandate and others who opposed it.
Some parents, arguing that there is no legal authority for the district to implement masks, said it was a "parents' rights" issue and threatened to sue.
"Parents should be allowed to choose what they want and how their children go to school," said David Grimmett, who identified himself as a lawyer. "At the end of the day, I see these people with the masks. They believe it is best for their children. I believe it is not. I should be given the choice."
Leigh-Allyn Baker, an actor who starred in the Disney Channel's "Good Luck Charlie," was at the meeting and advocated against the mask mandate. She said that her children would not be able to be vaccinated because of medical exceptions but that she still would not have them wear masks.
"Anyway, the real part of the clown show is that you all think that you actually have the authority to mandate this," Baker said. "Because there are these books that I have, and I have them as a gift for you: the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Federalist Papers. Also, the Bible. And these guarantee my freedom and yours and our children's to breathe oxygen."
Multiple medical professionals who are parents of school-age children advocated for the mandate and debunked several comments that masks were ineffective.
Britt Maxwell, who identified himself as a doctor at a local hospital, said he was fearful for his two children, who are too young to be vaccinated.
"I'm afraid for the choice that they can't make, because the facts are clear. Kids are getting sick," he said. "It's happening now. Pediatric ICU and ERs across the country, across the South, are being stretched to capacity in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri. And it will happen here eventually. It's a myth that kids can't pass to other kids, because they can."
Jennifer King, who identified herself as a pediatrician with two children who attend school in the county, implored the district to reimplement the mask mandate.
"As a pediatric ICU physician, we are seeing more younger, previously healthy children admitted with respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome," King said. "This trend will only worsen if we don't act now."
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Watch the video. Holy crap people are insane.
They are threatening people. Selfish pieces of shit.
Insane and stupid!
And that's the best that can be said about them.
Such ignorant assholes. Do they want their kids to die???????????????????????????????????????????????
See the ignorance from certain posters here that furthers this ignorance. Shouldn't be allowed.
It would almost be worth the risk to myself to intentionally get covid just to get into a shouting match with this crowd.
From the Terminator...
"No, screw your freedom. Because with freedom comes obligations and responsibilities"
Seems a bunch of people think freedom should be free of consequences...
Those who take their freedom for granted do not deserve it.
Little antidote:
I was sitting in area of the place I work waiting for hubby to pick me up after work. I was watching a show on my phone. I was wearing a mask even though the company just instituted mask free zones for employees that have been vaccinated. Well, with my daughter being immune suppressed and not knowing if the vaccine is successful against the new variants I was wearing my mask. I am not taking a chance with my daughter's health. So a woman walks past where I was sitting and then came back to me (I had my earbuds in) and started talking to me. I took out my buds and said "excuse me?" and she said "You don't have to wear a mask in this area." I said "You do you and I will do me". She then said "The hospital liferd the mandate in this area." I said "I know. I work here, too. As I said - you do you and I will do me". She mumbled something and stalked off. NOW - this woman had no idea if I was vaccinated, or had a mask on for a cold - no idea & she thought she had to inform me....
The hospital (my employer) just re-instituted the mask mandate for everyone (vaccinated and nons) starting this past Tuesday. A little more than a month without masks & we are right back to it because some people are too stupid to live.
Amazing people think they have to inform others...
Around here almost no one wears a mask. I went into a store the other day and was the only one wearing one. People gave me looks like I was nuts. All I could think was people get upset over the stupidest things.
Now here, two walmart stores had to close down to be disinfected. I am thinking employees started to get the virus.
I know... Never ceases to amaze me.
Happens to me all the time. Although when my sister and I were at the casino, I was pleased to see a lot of people wearing their masks.