Where school masks are concerned, Tennessee parents just got options.

To mask or not to mask — it’s a question they’ll be free to answer themselves.

As announced by the Office of the Governor website, on Monday, Gov. Bill Lee signed Executive Order 84.

“I want to acknowledge the frustration and fear that many are feeling,” he said, “fear of COVID and its effects on your family, fear of government intervention and its effect, and frustration over everything from masks to information that changes by the day.”

“Right now,” the governor continued, “some of the greatest frustration is occurring in our K-12 schools, especially around the issue of mask mandates.”

Bill juxtaposed government with citizenry:

“While local decision-making is important, individual decision-making by a parent on issues regarding the health and well-being of their child is the most important.”

Hence, freedom of choice:

“No one cares more about the health and well-being of a child than a parent. I am signing an executive order today that allows parents to opt their children out of a school mask mandate if either a school board or health board enacts one over a district.”

“Districts will make the [decisions] they believe are best for their schools,” he noted, but moms and dads will retain “the ultimate decision-making for their individual child’s health and well-being.”

A special session won’t be called “at this time,” Gov. Bill relayed.

In the meantime, school boards in Middle Tennessee have been meeting over masks.

As covered by RedState’s Mike Miller, political podcaster Matt Walsh cited statistics at one.

Also included: allegation and inquiry.

Here is my speech to the Nashville School Board where I spoke out against the cruel and indefensible mask mandate for children pic.twitter.com/Eq5IFsKyja

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) August 12, 2021

Online critics weren’t impressed — see more.

As for the leader of Tennessee, he surely scored profound points with — and engendered intense avarice within — many mothers and fathers across The Volunteer State.

He’s on a revolutionary roll.

In April, Bill made another bold move: The governor put pen to paper for House Bill 786.

The result: Constitutional Carry, for residents from Chattanooga to Clarksville.

I signed constitutional carry today because it shouldn’t be hard for law-abiding Tennesseans to exercise their #2A rights. Thank you members of the General Assembly and @NRA for helping get this done. pic.twitter.com/xv2ZenOEZq

— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) April 8, 2021

“I signed constitutional carry today,” he explained, “because it shouldn’t be hard for law-abiding Tennesseans to exercise their #2A rights. Thank you, members of the General Assembly and @NRA, for helping get this done.”

The following month, there was this:

AP: Tennessee bans teaching critical race theory in schools

— Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) May 25, 2021

Back to masks, there’s much left to be settled in Tennessee.

WMC5 Action News reports the state’s largest school district is “moving forward with mandatory masks despite Governor Bill Lee’s executive order…”

Stay tuned.

Surely much more is to come — not only in the deep south, but all over the country.

Masking is a fight not nearly over, and likely to continue for quite some time.

Sickness isn’t going anywhere, COVID or no.

And government extending its reach?

That’s guaranteed to stick around, too.

-ALEX

See more pieces from me:

Major University Professor Fights Math’s ‘Harbor for Whiteness’

Minnesota Eyes K-12 Social Studies Criteria Coaching Kids on Gender Evolution and ‘Systems of Power’

Not Hollywood: Kirstie Alley Joins the Chorus Against Erasing Women

Find all my RedState work here.

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