Parents in Tennessee are suing their school district for enforcing mask mandate

• A group of parents in Tennessee have filed a lawsuit against Williamson County School District and its superintendent for enforcing a mask mandate, The Tennessean reported. 

• The complaint charges the school district's mask mandate of denying students "equal access to educational opportunities" that are given to students who aren't required to wear face coverings.

• Tennessee does not have a statewide mask mandate, despite suggestions from the White House coronavirus task force.

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Parents in Williamson County, Tennessee are suing their local school district and superintendent over a district mask mandate, The Tennessean reported. 

In Williamson County, roughly 30 minutes south of Nashville, a group of parents filed a lawsuit on Friday that claimed the school district is denying "substantially equal education opportunities available to other students in the state" according to the complaint reported in The Tennessean.

The complaint asks for a declaration that the district's mandate is "beyond the authority granted to local school boards," noting that a "significant number of school systems within the State does not have a mask mandate in effect."

Tennessee does not have a state-wide mask mandate, despite a suggestion from Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, who previously visited the state. The mayor of Williamson County decided in late August to expire the county's mask mandate and instead leave it to residents to voluntarily wear a mask, The Tennessean reported.

In their statement issued in July, the group of parents questioned the school district's authority to implement a mask mandate. They demanded the school board "leave parents to focus on the health of their children while the school board focuses on resourcing our teachers."

Post by Recall Williamson.

Williamson County Schools offers in-person and remote learning options to its students. As of last Tuesday, a total of over 400 students are in quarantine after exposure to a positive case of coronavirus, and dozens of students have tested positive, according to the school district's report.  The district's superintendent did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the lawsuit.

Schools across the US continue to risk the spread of coronavirus after reopening. In Florida, children testing positive for coronavirus has increased by 34% since schools reopened.

• Read more:

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• Tens of thousands of schools have dangerously poor ventilation, raising the risk that the coronavirus could spread through the air

• Cases of COVID-19 in children have increased 34% in Florida since schools started to reopen

• 30 college towns that could face economic ruin if schools don't reopen or have to close again this fall

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