White, Kelsey endorse idea of vouchers for families against masking,
State Rep. Mark White, R-memphis, said Tuesday that he supports the idea of a special legislative session over what governmental entities should have authority require masks in schools.
He also said he would vote for legislation that would provide school vouchers to public school families who disagreed with their district’s decision to abide by a mask mandate.
“We need to listen to parents. We’ve always asked parents to be engaged in their child’s education. And I just don’t believe that we need to lock parents out at this particular time and during this discussion,” White said.
White is the Tennessee House’s education administration committee chairman and second notable, local Republican to support a voucher bill that would let parents opt out of masking.
State Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-germantown, tweeted his support of such a special session and a voucher bill over the weekend. White and Kelsey’s endorsements of such a bill followed House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-crossville calling for a special session last week and expressing his interest in a voucher bill along the lines of what Florida passed last week.
“I’m hopeful that we will have a special session and then we will see what comes out of it. Florida did something today that I’m very intrigued by,” Sexton said in Memphis Friday. “I think that’s what we should do, which is if the parents disagree with the school boards having the mask mandate then they should have the school choice where the kids can pull their kids out, take their money and go to any school that they want to.”
State Rep. Antonio Parkinson, Dmemphis, took umbrage with White and Kelsey’s statements about vouchers.
“Around 2010, Republican leadership passed and touted virtual schools in Tennessee. When the pandemic hit and people wanted virtual, they said it was
“We need to listen to parents. We’ve always asked parents to be engaged in their child’s education. And I just don’t believe that we need to lock parents out at this particular time and during this discussion.” State Rep. Mark White, R-memphis
bad and the children needed to be in the classroom,” Parkinson said in a statement.
When children returned to the classroom and masks were required so the children could be safe, Republican leadership wanted to take the masks away. Now, the same leaders want to issue vouchers as a punishment [or] alternative for those parents who don’t want their children to have to wear a required mask (only indoors) while in school. This idea would allow them to take their children to a private school where masks are not required but with public school money.
Whether there will be a special session is up in the air. Gov. Bill Lee said Monday that he was undecided on whether to call such a session and did not explicitly endorse taking the ability to require masks away from local authorities.
The issue of masking in schools and the partisan divide over it reared its head Monday when myriad local districts returned to the classroom after the summer break.
As some Collierville Public Schools parents protested the Shelby County Health Department’s school mask requirement, the district did not enforce the policy. Later in the day, after a conference with the health department, the district reversed course.
USA Today Network -Tennessee reporters Natalie Allison and Laura Testino contributed to this story.
Samuel Hardiman covers Memphis city government and politics for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by email at samuel.hardiman@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter at @samhardiman.