NC school board splits on not requiring masks. ‘One kid becoming sick is just too much.’
The State Board of Education backed new health guidelines Thursday that allow North Carolina schools to make wearing face masks optional — a change some members said will put students at risk of getting COVID-19.
The state board voted 9-2 to adopt the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ updated Strong Schools Public Health Toolkit, which recommends that districts require face coverings in schools. It’s a major change from last year’s Toolkit when DHHS said schools had to require masking, sparking complaints from those who said masks should be optional.
State board member James Ford argued Thursday that ending the school mask mandate is a mistake at a time when COVID-19 cases are rising. He noted how he’s the parent of two 6-year-old children who aren’t eligible to be vaccinated.
“I can’t in good conscience approve of this Toolkit in that it recommends and does not require mask wearing in the schools, and so the very thought of even one kid becoming sick is just too much for me to bear,” Ford said.
Ford and Jill Camnitz voted against the new Toolkit.
But state Treasurer Dale Folwell, who voted for the new Toolkit, said board members need to keep challenging assumptions about the coronavirus. Folwell noted how he had recovered from the virus last year.
“What I would pray for right now for this board is that we do not lose our ability to challenge assumptions,” Folwell said. “There are so many things going on in our state right now from all different aspects.”
Districts debate mask policies
The issue of whether to continue requiring masks be worn in school is one of the most contentious issues in the state. Around 200 people rallied outside Wake County’s school board meeting on Tuesday before a decision was made to continue requiring masks for the start of the 2021-22 school year.
But at least 54 of North Carolina’s 115 school districts have opted to make mask wearing optional. More school boards will be making decisions soon before classes start for most students this month.
On Thursday, the Chatham County school board voted to require masks be worn in schools. Mooresville Graded School District in Iredell County is switching back to requiring masks on Friday after more than 80 students were quarantined during the first four days of mask-optional classes.
Critics of requiring masks argue they’re ineffective at stopping transmission of COVID-19 and are harming the health of students. But state health officials promoted the value of masking at Thursday’s state board meeting, saying the coverings help increase the ability of students to stay in school.
“The more children there are that are either infected by COVID-19 or are exposing others that are not wearing, there will be more children out of school,” said Dr. Susan Kansagra, section chief of the chronic disease and injury section at the state Division of Public Health. “Not wearing a mask poses a disadvantage.”
No quarantine when masks required
Susan Gale Perry, DHHS chief deputy secretary, promoted Thursday how changes in the Toolkit now say that students don’t have to be quarantined if they were in close contact with another student who has COVID-19. For that to happen, the Toolkit says both students had to be wearing masks and in schools that have universal masking.
A frequent complaint from parents is how schools have required students to stay home for a 14-day quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure.
“This is a really important change and a big deal for schools that want to keep kids in in-person learning and not having them have to quarantine due to exposure,” Gale Perry told the board. “The critical component here is mask wearing for students.”
But Ford questioned Gale Perry why DHHS is not requiring mask wearing in schools if health officials feel it’s that important.
Gale Perry responded that things are different now that they have COVID-19 vaccinations available for people ages 12 and up. She also said that schools know what the right protocols are for keeping children safe from COVID.
“Our expectation is that school leaders will make the right decisions and follow the protocols in the Toolkit,” Gale Perry said.
Kids unsafe due to no masks?
The decision by a growing number of school districts to not require masks is raising concerns from those who say it’s putting people at risk.
Kisha Clemons, an advisor to the state board, said it’s getting hard to carry out her promise to protect her students considering how face masks are optional and some teachers and school staff aren’t vaccinated. Clemons is a principal in the Newton-Conover City Schools, which no longer requires masksing.
“We’re all committed to making sure that students are in-person learning,” Clemons said. “We’ve been committed to that.
“However, some of the decisions that are being made across this state are not allowing for that or putting us in a position where that’s not going to happen.”
State board chairman Eric Davis, who voted for the new Toolkit, said they need to respect everyone’s individual choice while recognizing how those choices affect others.
“We are entering a new phase in this battle that’s potentially more threatening than the phase that we’ve survived thus far in that while we all value our own individual choices in this battle, our own individual choices affect each other,” Davis said.
“What this information tells me is our best tool to protecting ourselves and each other, particularly our students, is to get vaccinated and, where appropriate, wear a mask.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2021 at 6:09 PM with the headline "NC school board splits on not requiring masks. ‘One kid becoming sick is just too much.’."
