Tennessee Dad Goes Viral With Impassioned Speech In Favor of Masks in Schools
In states like California, all students are required to wear face masks while at school. Meanwhile, in states like Texas, the governor has banned mask mandates which means that wearing a face mask to school is optional, that is, unless your school changes the dress code.
Then in Tennessee, schools are allowed to require students to wear face masks at school, kind of. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed an executive order this week that forces schools to allow parents to choose to opt out of a school mask mandate.
Justin Kanew is a dad of two children, a 5-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son. They live in College Grove, Tennessee, where not everyone is on the same side about whether or not children should wear face masks at school.
Kanew attended a school board meeting, but he didn’t intend to speak. He was there to observe and cover the meeting for his website, TN Holler. However, when he heard so many people speaking out against face masks in schools, he knew he had to say something. Kanew spoke to the Williamson County Board of Education and explained why his daughter wears a face mask and why he believes face masks are a good idea. Watch the video below to hear what he had to say.
Kanew explained to Good Morning America that he spoke up because “It just seemed important for the school board to hear that there are other voices out there. I just hope people will really continue to make their voices heard, especially in counties like ours where we can sometimes be drowned out by the other side of this discussion.”
Kanew told GMA that after he spoke the room was silent; however, he has received 1000s of positive comments on social media, and many people in his local community thanked him in person after they heard what he said at the meeting.
Do you think children should be required to wear face masks to school? Is there a mask mandate in your local school district?
