Hundreds of Memphis-area students opt out of wearing masks in schools
Memphis-area school districts quickly revised masking protocols after Gov. Bill Lee issued an executive order allowing parents to exempt their kids from masking in schools.
By Tuesday afternoon, more than 1,000 students across the six municipal districts opted out of masking in school.
Lee announced Executive Order No. 84 at a press conference Monday afternoon which overrides Shelby County Health Department's Health Directive No. 24, requiring everyone, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask inside schools and buses.
The order to opt children out of wearing masks came after a push from Republican House leaders pressing for a special session and parents enraged by mask mandates in schools.
The health department issued Health Directive No. 24 on Aug. 6, the Friday before most Memphisarea schools started, as child COVID-19 hospitalizations rose and the delta variant wreaked havoc on those unvaccinated — including children younger than 12 who are not eligible for the vaccine.
Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray said everyone, including students, will still wear masks inside of schools as he meets with the board and a counsel to review the legalities of the order.
Here's how many students will not wear masks in school and how the six municipal districts will handle Executive Order No. 84.
Arlington Community Schools
As of Tuesday afternoon, about 12% of Arlington Community Schools' students opted out of wearing masks, said Tyler Hill, director of communication.
Arlington Community Schools allows parents to fill out an online form to exempt their child from masking in school.
The district also still adheres to Shelby County Health Department directive and requires students without parental consent to mask inside school buildings.
Bartlett City Schools
By Tuesday afternoon, 155 of 8,500 students in Bartlett City Schools had opted out of masking across the district's 11 schools, spokesperson Jason Sykes said.
The district announced Monday that parents who wish to opt their kids out of masking must provide written authorization to the child's school.
The district still complies with Shelby County Health Department's directive and requires students without parental consent to mask inside school buildings.
Collierville Schools
As of Tuesday afternoon, 972 of 8,712 students in the Collierville Schools district, about 11% of those enrolled, opted out of masking, spokesperson Mario Hogue said.
Of that number, 395 are elementary school students, Hogue said.
Collierville Schools allows parents or guardians to e-mail or write a note to their child's first teacher of the day to excuse the student from wearing masks inside school buildings.
The district still follows Shelby County Health Department's directive and requires students without parental consent to mask inside school buildings.
Close contact will change to six feet for unmasked individuals and remain three feet for masked students.
Germantown Municipal School District
By Tuesday afternoon, 14.6% of students in the Germanton Municipal School District opted out of masking in school, spokesperson Kate Crowder said.
Approximately 6,196 students were enrolled in the Germantown district, according to state data for the 2019-2020 school year. That means about 900 students will not
have to wear masks in Germantown schools.
The Germantown district allows parents to fill out a form online to exempt their child from the mask mandate.
The district will provide COVID-19 updates in a dashboard beginning the week of Aug. 23, Crowder said.
The district still follows Shelby County Health Department's directive and requires students without parental consent to mask inside school buildings.
Lakeland School System
Nearly 200 students had opted out of wearing masks in the Lakeland School System by Tuesday afternoon, Superintendent Ted Horrell said.
Currently, about 90% of the district's students will wear masks in schools, Horrell said.
Lakeland School System allows guardians to email their child's school teachers or administrators to exempt their student from the mask mandate, the district said in an email to parents.
The district also still adheres to Shelby County Health Department's directive and requires students without parental consent to mask inside school buildings.
Close contact for unmasked individuals will be considered six feet while masked people can stay three feet apart.
Millington Municipal Schools
As of Tuesday, 39 of the 2,600 students in Millington Municipal School District were opted out of masking, Superintendent Bo Griffin said.
Millington schools announced Monday that parents must provide a written letter to the district or their child's school to exempt their student from the mask mandate.
The letter must include the student's name, grade, school location and the guardian's name.
The district continues to follow the Shelby County Health Department's directive and requires students without parental consent to mask inside school buildings.