A court filing to seek temporary injunction against face covering requirements in the Coffee County Schools has been denied by Coffee County Circuit Court Judge Vanessa Jackson.
The filing was originally made by Heather Murchison on behalf of her son, a freshman student at Coffee County Raider Academy, against the Coffee County Board of Education and Director of Schools Dr. Charles Lawson.
In her ruling, Jackson noted: “Issuance of a preliminary injunction would not apply (to Murchison’s son) solely, but would in effect allow all students to ignore the mask policy, and thus create a greater risk of the spread of the virus to other students, faculty and parents, and possible closing of schools to in-person learning. The issuance of an injunction enjoining the enforcement of the [Coffee County School Board’s] mask policy will not serve the greater good and the public interest.”
The ruling also cited Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s executive order allowing for local counties to make their own decisions regarding face coverings, a decision that Coffee County Mayor Gary Cordell said would be best decided by each individual school district.
The lawsuit for an injunction, filed by Murchison on behalf of her son, claimed that her son told school staff that wearing the mask was “against his religious beliefs, but admitted at the hearing that this was not true. He also indicated that he had a medical reason for refusing to wear the mask, but there was no evidence presented at the hearing to substantiate this claim.”
The court ruling also states that the student in question – the son of Murchison who Thunder Radio is not naming – received no disciplinary action for his refusal to wear a mask, but has been required to go to a room where he could be social distanced from other students. This is the same room in which students serve in-school detention.
This story will be updated with more information.
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