'It's Madness': Tennessee senator says governor created 'big mess,' with mask order

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is being accused of playing politics during a public health emergency after he signed an Executive Order allowing parents to opt-out of mask mandates at their local schools.

Gov. Lee signed the order after Shelby, Davidson, and Williamson County school boards opted to mandate masks for some school children. The decision in Williamson County one which led to protesters threatening board members and speakers who voiced support for the mandate before it's passage.

State Senator Jeff Yarbro spoke with FOX 17 News on Tuesday, a day after the order was issued, and says he believes the governor made a "big mess." Sen. Yarbro says "We have schools all across the state that are trying to open up...and they're facing a COVID spike at the same time...out of nowhere without consulting any of the schools that are affected, the governor lobs in this bomb for political reasons."

During a press conference explaining the order on Monday, Gov. Lee stated “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," adding he believed the order was a "way forward."

Sen. Yarbro disagrees, saying "Frankly, I think the personal choice framework the governor used is a little bit of a crock. There are many parents who would choose for their child to go to a place where is using the best safety protocols. The governor made this decision at a statewide level for everybody and that's the problem with the governor's decision. It doesn't try to maximize choice, it doesn't try to respect local decisions, it respects one particular decision which is the decision to go unmasked in this time where COVID is spiking."

ALSO READ: 'No excuse for incivility' Williamson County Schools respond to outbursts over masks

As of August 17, the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) reports 11,773 school-aged children in the state have tested positive for COVID-19 the last 14 days, a 1,262% increase compared to just over 5 weeks ago when the total number of children testing positive was 864.

Other governors who have taken similar measures, such as Ron DeSantis of Florida, are facing court challenges over their executive orders. Sen. Yarbro says he believes such challenges as a result of the order will lead to "more potential messes," and the use of emergency powers is a "weird thing" to use emergency powers during a public health emergency. "You wouldn't imagine that someone like the governor saying, invoking emergency powers to say that people can stay home when there's an evacuation order for a hurricane...It's kind of a ludicrous situation."

Sen. Yarbro blames social media, some media personalities, and some networks for the polarization around masks, saying it has led to a climate where nobody can have a sensible conversation. "If you saw the footage from the Williamson County School Board the other night, you might question whether we're actually capable of acting like adults right now," Sen. Yarbro says. "And that's the biggest problem for me about what the governor did. He took the side of the people who were out there threatening doctors and validated that point and threw fuel into that exact fight at a time when we needed a statewide leader who would lower the volume. Who would try to lower the conflict and try to work towards a solution that would work for everybody."

One point of contention which has been fiercely debated by citizens and anti-mask supporters is concern over ceding freedoms by allowing such mandates by the government. Sen. Yarbro believes the stance "that there is some sort of unprecedented attack on freedom is kind of ridiculous. Schools have been telling people how long and short their skirts should be and like what's on their tee shirts for years and people haven't gone like up in arms about whether schools are acting out beyond their place. If something dangerous happens while your kids are at school you expect the school to actually be responsible and deal with it and that's what they're doing." He adds, "we don't need the governor to choose selectively when to weigh in on local decisions."

FOX 17 News reached out to Governor Lee's office for response to the comments and have not received a reply. Any response will be updated in this article.

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