Knox County Schools Only Allow Two Exemptions To Mask Mandate

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The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

Knox County Schools only offer two exemptions to the county-wide mask mandate and have very strict rules for the students in isolation.

Up until the decision by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer, Knox County Schools stated that they recognized face coverings were a family decision and went so far as to say, “The district will not tolerate harassment of students or employees regarding the use of face coverings.”

However, following Greer’s issuance of a preliminary injunction on September 24th against Governor Bill Lee’s opt-out order, the Knox County Board of Education was ordered to require masks for all students, staff and visitors, effective immediately. Currently, only individuals with autism or a tracheotomy are exempt.

It appears that there is no quarter given for any other medical condition when it comes to masking.

One parent reports that her child cannot tolerate a mask stating that they immediately make him retch.  When this happens, due to the child’s fundoplication, he must be immediately vented through his feeding tube.

The parent said, “He’s not CHOOSING this.  This reaction and consequences are due to his disability.”

The parent states that the administration was reminded of his condition and was assured that the child would not be isolated since he was not being “defiant”.

However, the very next day, the parent reports the child was immediately isolated for not wearing a mask and never made it to class.

The parent was not notified until an hour after the isolation had begun and found the child “alone and sobbing” and “traumatized” upon pickup.  

“He thinks he’s in trouble and doesn’t understand,” the parent said.

The parent goes on to state that their children’s hospital has been banned from writing exceptions and the family is unable to switch to virtual.

“I understand everyone wants to protect their kids, but no one person, no judge, knows every family’s situation.  Parent’s choice is important for a reason.  It’s not political.  It’s protecting children and understanding there’s numerous situations why parent’s choice is prudent,” the parent stated.

As with other schools in Knox County, Tennessee, Karns Middle School has followed suit in creating isolation rooms for students who do not comply with the mask mandate.

The school terms these areas, “Restorative Learning Center Isolation Areas” and they come with their own set of rules (separate from those of students who attend regular class).

Parents of children who will be placed in the isolation rooms are given a form entitled “Restorative Learning Center Isolation Expectations” that they are expected to read and sign.

The form states the purpose of the isolation areas:

“The purpose of the Restorative Learning Center Isolation Areas is to provide students with an alternate placement for failure to follow the Federal Mandate requiring masking inside a KCS facility.  While in the Restorative Learning Center Isolation, students are not to accumulate points throughout the day.  An accumulation of 4 or more points will result in additional disciplinary actions by school administration.  Points are given for not following these expectations.”

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The form then outlines the nine expectations and follows with the statement, “Failure to meet expectations results in points.”

1. Students will give the teacher their cell phone.
2. Students will be assigned a seat via the teacher.
3. Students will refrain from talking or disrupting other students.
4. Students will refrain from putting head on the desk or sleeping.
5. Students will refrain from walking around the room without permission.
6. Non educational use of chrome book will result in loss of device.
7. Earbuds and headphones are not allowed without permission.
8. Students will raise their hand and wait when help is needed from the teacher.
9. Students will stay busy working on assignments and/or make up work.

Number 1 has raised the eyebrows of parents due to safety concerns, and some have started pulling their children out of school.

As we outlined in our previous story, the students in isolation do not receive the same classwork as those in regular class.

Knox County Schools states on their website, “Teachers will post asynchronous assignments for students who are in isolation or quarantine, which can be completed while they are away from school. Any work that cannot be completed asynchronously will be offered as a makeup assignment when students return to in-person instruction.”

The Tennessee Conservative will continue to follow this story and post updates as new information is uncovered.

About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative  ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career.  Most recently, he served as Deputy Directory for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others.  He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History.  Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com