Thread by @WilliamsonStrg

Meeting will start in 8 mins! Stay tuned here for a pretty rapid fire live tweeting session of the meeting - we're fully charged up this time and should make it to the end! 🤞

#wcsb

or you can watch it yourself on the livestream at

(still waiting on livestream to start....803 people waiting to be "let in" on youtube)

make that 933....check out the pics @tori_keafer is posting of the room!

apparently the meeting has started but the livestream isn't on.

You can watch on news channel 5 on facebook: facebook.com/newschannel5/v…

Michael Miller up to speak: Please reinstate mask mandate. Works for dialysis center I think (hard to hear). Chose in person school because of promise to follow CDC guidance which is being violated.

Dr. Jennifer Kerr: have emailed you all unbiased data that Delta will spread like wildfire. We're seeing it in our country and in our state. Children will die if you don't put mitigation strategies in place. Will not be staff to care for children when they get sick....

(Chair has to gavel due to room being loud and interrupting speaker.) We're throwing a big chicken pox party with our children but the stakes are incredibly higher. Not listening to physicians is not ok. (room is so loud and hostile from what we can hear.)

Michelle Sole (Soul?) Please reinstate a mask mandate. Youngest has cerebral palsy and is high risk and deserves the best education that only you can provide - we moved here for the schools. Reputation of WCS is on the line - will you protect the high risk and unvaccinated?

Jessica Stults: [ps hear a coughing child in background] District 5. WCS parent. Please instate a temporary mask mandate and last year's protocols. Last speaker didn't say this but her Dad died last year after working in a place where masks were encouraged but not required.

....cont'd....mandates are effective in increasing compliance. Crowd yells TIME even after being asked not to. KC Haugh, vice chair, is in charge of time and tells crowd he has it covered. Chair yells at man speaking up that he's out of order.

David Grimmet - attorney, giving legal mask mandate POV. Says children have fundamental right to education and parents have right to choose and govern their own children. Knows his daughter better than anyone and that masks don't work. Parents should get to choose.

Chelsea Gilbert: District 4. Says hi to Brad Fiscus. Has her daughter with her, holding a box - reads label off a mask box. Holds up a sign of a mask. We demand you take these masks from the kids and take them to labs and get them tested.

Chelsea Medley: District 11. Please reinstate mask mandate. Nurse practitioner, cases are rising. Has an 11 year old son in school. Crowd tries to interrupt her and Chair gavels. Son caught COVID in last year's environment in less transmissable environment, imagine this year.

...con't....you're entrusted with safety of students and know you don't take that lightly.

Angela Zuill: (in medical scrubs) - nurse practitioner at well known walk in clinic here in WillCo and mom to 2 college grove elem kids. Seen a lot of surges, but this year have seen it affecting kids. 2 year old and 7 year old positives in last shift, and a guidance counselor.

...we all want our kids to be in school. This is called a pandemic of the unvaccinated and a lot of our kids are 12 and under and it's our job and yours to protect them. (the crowd is just incapable of being quiet and following rules.)

Brent (missed it) - a Dr. at a big hospital, father of 2 kids. Pediatric hospitals are stretched to capacity. It's a myth it can't pass to other kids. It's happened at sporting events and camps and will happen in schools. Seeing otherwise healthy 30's and 40's ppl getting sick

...if we don't do this, we're going to have school shutdowns and quarantines and needless tragedies.

Alma is an infectious disease specialist at Vandy. Reinstate mask mandate to protect our children. New strain is as infectious as chicken pox and causes more severe disease. Our children under 12 are most vulnerable. Only half county is fully vaxxed. Delta is surging as a result.

...at the time our children are facing the most risk, they're facing the most danger.

Maya - asks for mask mandate. Imperative to reinstate the masking guidelines. No one wants to do this but we are called to do it.

Dr. Jennifer King - pediatric ICU physician and WCS mother. Very concerned about delta variant, seeing cases on the rise. Learned that we can safely send children to school with mitigation strategies. Implore you to please follow the evidence and implement universal masking...

...in following with CDC and AAP recommendations. Crowd is yelling Pfizer at her as she sits down. Man yells at her. Chair admonishes crowd again that rules include business decorum.

Dr. Sarah Essery - Board certified in internal medicine and pediatric medicine and WCS mother. Implement temporary mask mandate until every student can be vaccinated. Decision is NOT about parents rights, it's about students' rights to safe learning environments.

...we have a vaccine that helps prevent spread which 100% of elementary students don't have, including most 6th graders. Without mask mandate, can't curb spread.

Nick Shrieber - says this is all a dog and pony show. Says they weren't wearing masks until the Board showed up. Says Board is a disgrace. Says Board has zero authority to mandate masks (Gov Lee says otherwise).

...says "you've poked the cubs. we are pissed off." 2 names always stand up on this Board - Brad and Golden. (??)

Chair reminds audience no personal attacks on Board will be tolerated.

Justin Pride - representing wife and 4 kids that are devastated to know this has already been decided (the vote has not yet happened.) Says no studies show masks work (every scientific organization says they do.)

...says mandates are illegal by federal law (no they aren't.)

...time is up and is still yelling at the board while the room applauds. Apparently the rules don't apply to this group.

Mary Jane Brown, ER physician in WillCo for 35 years. Children went through WCS system, 3 grandchildren are recovering from covid right now. Hopes they don't have post covid complications. Lots of tension and fear in this room. Leave them with one message: listen to all of us

...observe the guidelines from the CDC. do not let twisted science rule us.

Tiffany Greer: 9 year old daughter had stage 4 cancer. It humbles you, shows you how precious life is. :( Glad to see so many parents here who know their children. Consider allowing parents to make medical decisions for their children.

...goes WELL past time, crowd strangely is not screaming TIME TIME at her.

another Dr, missed his name. Has 2 children. Sees children every single shift, have never seen a child or adult with a mask-related problem. The masks are not any harm. They're inconvenient but not a harm. There's evidence that masks and social distancing work...

...they aren't 100% but neither are seatbelts. None of us want to be home again and quarantined, masks will allow us to stay in school most of the time. Keeping even 1 child off a ventilator we should do that.

Elizabeth Story - here to talk about the lie. Reads a code about the school board and reads a letter that representatives sent. Says Board shouldn't vote in a partisan matter. If you try to force us to put masks on children, I personally will sue.

Kyle Weaver - retired brain surgeon and WCS father. Need to intervene every time a child comes to or leaves school. If you don't mitigate that, you have a modicum of culpability for that death. Are you willing to have to deal with that?

Dr. Colleen (eesh missed it) and mother of 5 - physician. no evidence that masks prevent spread. Sister died of h1N1. :( That virus was not politicized. Masks cause issues in learning environment. Wants right to choose.

Leigh Allen Baker - California refugee. Gave up successful hollywood career for freedom here in TN. Have 2 vaccine-injured children with medical exemptions. Clown show that you all think you can mandate that. Claims Bible, Bill of Rights, Federalist papers give rights to breathe

(no, we are not making this up.)

Thomas Mitchell - district 5 - lost child to an unknown cause. :( Understand loss. Understand can't control everything out there. We know what's best for our children. Continue to empower us as parents.

Daniel Jordan - daughters were told last year they have to sneeze in their mask and wear it the rest of the day. You voted for that. Don't force "satanic non-science BS" on our kids. We'll come for you if you do - in a non-violent way. "You'll become a domestic terrorist."

(I have to go back and re-listen to that part because I want to make sure HE REALLY SAID THAT?)

Dr. Holladay, eye dr. from D9. Says legislature says board doesn't have authority to mask our kids (Again, Gov. Lee said otherwise this week.)

Jonathan Wells - says science is not settled. Says his Dr. is not a mask expert. Respect our choice.

Clay Travis (yes, that one) - 2 kids in WCS. Says Board should be ashamed of the choices they're making. Says no scientific data that they do. Says kids are more likely to be struck by lightning than die of seasonal flu. twitter.com/ClayTravis

appears public comment is over. gives 5 minute break.