Tenn. school board member says he’s stepping down after seeing parents clash with doctor

Williamson County School board member Brad Ficus said he will step down from his post next month, following a heated confrontation at a recent meeting involving parents opposed to mask requirements, the Tennessean reported.

Ficus told the newspaper that he decided to resign after seeing his wife, a former state vaccine chief, was fired from her job.

In a statement, Ficus’s wife accused the state’s health department of letting politics guide its COVID-19 response, according to the Tennessean.

Ficus told the newspaper that the school board is not the enemy in this conflict.

“I believe that Williamson County Schools are as outstanding as they are because of the passion that people have for their children’s education,” Ficus said. “There are benefits to that, and there are negatives to that. There has to be a balance. They can’t see the school board or the school as their enemy. They need to see them as their partner.”

The Hill has reached out to the Williamson County School district for comment.

Ficus and fellow school board members on Tuesday voted to impose a mask mandate for area schools, prompting outrage from some parents.

Former actress Leigh-Allyn Baker, who starred in Disney Chanel’s “Good Luck Charlie,” attended the meeting and accused the board of “trampling” student rights with their safety protocols, handing a Bible and a copy of the Constitution to Ficus, the Tennessean noted.

The highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19 is prompting school districts across the nation to re-evaluate how they plan to hold in-person classes this fall, with many imposing mask mandates.