Third judge blocks Gov. Lee's mask opt out in schools [View all]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A third federal judge has blocked Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's order allowing families to opt out of school mask mandates.

The decision, handed down by U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw late Friday, is the latest development in the ongoing legal battle over Lee's order launched by parents and advocates alarmed over the spike in coronavirus cases in Tennessee's schools.

Lee issued the order in August after a handful of Republican lawmakers demanded the governor call a special session so the GOP-dominant General Assembly could halt mask mandates in schools and other COVID-19 safety measures. Many students have been attending classes without masks ever since as pediatric hospitalizations reached record highs.

Crenshaw's order only applies to Williamson County, an affluent region just south of Nashville. Earlier that day, a separate judge halted Lee's executive order in Knox County. A week prior, another judge indefinitely banned Lee’s order after families argued the governor’s executive order endangered their children.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/third-judge-blocks-gov-lees-mask-opt-out-in-schools/ar-AAOOvG2