NC Gov. Cooper could ease mask mandate in schools soon in wake of CDC changes

Gov. Roy Cooper said on Tuesday that he expects to issue a new recommendation for masks in schools soon.

“I want our schools to go back in the fall as normal as possible,” he said in a stop at a vaccination site in a Cabarrus County high school Tuesday.

On Friday, updated federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines recommended masking in schools for individuals who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19. That means that people who are fully vaccinated would not need to wear masks in schools according to CDC guidelines.

No elementary school students — children under 12 — have received COVID-19 vaccinations yet.

North Carolina guidelines still require masks in schools, but that could change. Cooper said his staff is reviewing the new CDC guidelines and will be making recommendations for schools soon. But he said he doesn’t have a timeline for issuing that new guideline.

State health officials are working with the State Board of Education and talking with educators about the return to school in the fall, Cooper said at his stop at Northwest Cabarrus High.

Some N.C. school districts are already tackling the mask issue, not waiting for the state to act. That included the Union County and Rowan-Salisbury school boards voting this week to make face covering optional in schools.

CDC guidance

Cooper said it’s important for students to get as much in-person education as possible.

Previously, the CDC guidance made no distinction over mask-wearing between vaccinated or unvaccinated people in school. The new language removed the recommended precautionary measures for vaccinated individuals.

Cooper cited the prior CDC language to justify universal face covering requirement at all K-12 public and private schools, while the mandate was lifted in most other settings as vaccination rate increased. The mandate in school was extended to the end of July as of last month.

The CDC also said that schools should work with local public health departments to adjust social distancing and mask-wearing policies, contingent on the possibility of COVID-19 transmission and vaccine coverage in the local community.

The Observer reported on Monday that 50% of Mecklenburg County residents have received at least one COVID-19 shot, reaching a milestone in vaccination goals. However, health experts said that reaching herd immunity is unlikely.

And in Cabarrus County, where Cooper stopped Tuesday afternoon, 42% of residents have gotten at least one COVID-19 shot, according to state numbers.

Slow progress on vaccines

The state is still making progress in COVID-19 vaccinations, Cooper said Tuesday — but it’s slowed.

He urged all North Carolinians to get the shots as soon as possible, especially as cases of the more contagious delta variant of COVID-19 have increased.

“Vaccines are our way out of this,” Cooper said. “When you look at the fact that we have a delta variant, more than 99% of the people who are getting sick or dying now are not vaccinated.

“Almost every single death is preventable. If you haven’t been vaccinated please go and do it.”

Loosening restrictions

On Tuesday night, the Union County school board unanimously voted to make face coverings optional for everyone in schools, on school buses and during athletics and extracurricular events. That change in the state’s sixth-largest school district would go into effect Aug. 1.

And the Rowan-Salisbury school board voted 5-2 for making face covering optional in schools on Monday. That change goes into effect immediately.

Under the plan, students and staff are not required to show vaccination cards, while they can choose whether to wear masks at schools.

The motion was made by board member Travis Allen, who cited vaccine availability and families freedom of choice for making the change. Allen said he hoped the district would become a “trendsetter” and “give courage” to other school boards to make masks optional.

Allen said he was willing to risk facing criminal misdemeanor charges for defying the mask mandate in order to take a stand on the issue.

“Where do we draw the line?” Allen said at the meeting. “It’s masks today and vaccinations today. What’s it tomorrow?

“If they can make your child wear a mask at school, or a teacher wear a mask and dictate they can’t have a public education unless they do, I think they can attempt anything.”

During the meeting, attorney Ken Soo warned the board that the motion could violate North Carolina’s public health toolkit.

A toolkit issued by NC Department of Health and Human Services requires all schools to make face covering mandatory for staff and students in K-12 schools. Liability, however, is “very unlikely”, Soo said.

Cooper’s executive order, which requires public schools to follow the toolkit, will expire on July 30.

More changes

Other school districts and private schools in North Carolina have recently announced optional mask-wearing policy, the News & Observer reported.

Among them, Thales Academy, which operates private schools across North Carolina, recently announced that it would make face masks optional for next school year. The Harnett County school board lifted the mask mandate for its summer school program.

North Carolina is one of 10 states that still require masks in schools, the News & Observer reported. Eight states, including South Carolina, banned local districts from requiring face coverings in schools.

Last month, a bill for N.C. schools to remove mask mandates was put on hold.

North Carolina’s Senate Bill 173, nicknamed “Free the Smiles Act”, was passed in the House but rejected in the Senate. Legislators are working on a new compromise bill.

Observer reporter Hannah Smoot contributed to this report

This story was originally published July 13, 2021 at 3:00 PM.