NC district forgoing masks in schools amid local COVID positivity rate jump
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Charlotte 2021 Back to School
Due to COVID-19, masks are required at CMS and adults are encouraged to get vaccinated. There’s also a push among educators ad parents to catch up students who lost academic progress during the pandemic.
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For now, students and staff in Union County public schools won’t be required to wear face coverings, despite a growing body of research showing strict mask policies not only help protect children from COVID-19 but also limit interruptions to the school year by reducing the need for proactive quarantine measures.
The largest reported coronavirus school or daycare outbreak in North Carolina is currently in Union County, in a charter school where leaders reversed their earlier decision to leave masks optional after a cluster of cases grew to more than 100.
District leaders have suggested the Union County school board adopt a mask mandate and local health officials published data recently showing stark increases in the county’s positivity rate, number of COVID-19 cases and the number of people hospitalized due to the virus.
“This is not what we were hoping to see as we prepare for the opening of the 2020-21 school year,” UCPS Assistant Superintendent Jarrod McCraw said at a recent board meeting. “Unfortunately, COVID numbers are trending upward.”
As of Wednesday, the COVID-19 positivity rate in Union County was 13.9%. Two months ago on June 18, the positivity rate stood at 2.5%.
In the 5-18-year-old age group in Union County, there were 48 positive cases of COVID-19 the week of July 18. That number jumped to 104 positive cases within the same age group the week of July 25. The weeks of Aug. 1 and Aug 8, 169 positive cases were reported.
Most schools in the district open Monday. Union County enrolls roughly 41,000 students — and is one of the few districts in the Charlotte region reopening classrooms this month without requiring masks for students and staff.
UCPS board chairperson Melissa Merrell and her fellow board members agreed to talk about the subject at the board’s next meeting Sept. 7. At that point, school will have been in session for up to two weeks. Board members also have requested Dennis Joyner, Union County’s public health director, join the meeting.
McCraw mentioned the large outbreak at Monroe’s Union Academy, telling board members it shows what can happen if COVID-19 starts to spread.
“By the time you get to the point where you think you can stop it, you’re already under water and you can’t recover from it,” McCraw said.
Despite the data and concerns, Merrell and six other board members refused to budge, voting 7-2 against making masks mandatory in schools. Board members John Kirkpatrick IV and Joseph Morreale voted for the motion.
“Only two members voted to proactively protect the health of our kids and the faculty and staff,” said Patrick Norris, a father of three who lives in Union County. “That is alarming.”
McCraw said he talks daily with Joyner and this week Joyner’s message “became a lot stronger.” Joyner recommends UCPS follow expert guidelines: Make masks a requirement in schools.
“I was surprised — and angry — at their decision,” Norris said. “The board ignored county and state health department recommendations. I want to know what information the seven ‘no votes’ used to decide against the health department recommendation to require masks.”
Merrell, at Wednesday’s meeting said, “It’s important for the community to know that we’re monitoring our age group ... All of our teachers and employees have been offered the vaccine.”
She also said she wants the public to know she’s not following the data in other states: “Our job is to look at Union County data. And if 72% to 80% of the cases in our hospitals are non-COVID related (for the 5-18 age group) that’s very important to share with the public.”
Merrell was the only board member who responded to the Observer’s request for comment. She said that the district has implemented “mitigating measures” such as requiring masks on school buses and quarantines.
“We have been working with our superintendent on student resources, parent access to CANVAS, Teachers that wish to Tutor, and On-Demand Tutoring to assist students that are on quarantine so that they stay engaged and have access after-hours and on weekends with assignment,” Merrell said.
“We are extremely proud of our superintendent and academic team being proactive in providing support to our students if they are placed on quarantine, and the lessons learned from being open last year.”
Low vaccinations and no mask rule
Union County, as of Friday, has seen less than half of its population vaccinated against COVID-19. The positivity rate is slightly higher than the state average.
The percentage of fully vaccinated people, according to state health data, is at 43% in Union County. For comparison, the two largest counties in North Carolina, Mecklenburg and Wake, are at 51% and 60% fully vaccinated, respectively.
An analysis by The (Raleigh) News & Observer earlier this month showed that most school districts not requiring masks among students and staff are located in rural parts of North Carolina, with less population density, but also with lower vaccination rates.
“With the low vaccination rates in our area and the surging Delta variant numbers it would help protect so many more kids and staff,” Norris said of requiring masks in schools. “Not to mention the families and other community members who aren’t yet eligible for the vaccine or are high risk.
“Another factor is what happens when someone tests positive in a classroom is a much bigger deal when masks are optional. More kids will miss in-person schooling with this policy with the inevitable outbreaks.”
McCraw said public health guidance for K-12 schools was updated Wednesday. The updated StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit advises all schools to require children and staff in K-12 to wear face coverings consistently when indoors. Schools should make masks universally required regardless of vaccination status.
“We should take some local lessons learned and make a recommendation that will keep students safely in the classroom,” Morreale said.
Outbreak at NC charter school
Based on case and outbreak tracking data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, the worst cluster of cases among students and teachers is in Union County, as of Tuesday. Monroe’s Union Academy Charter School — which opened without a strict mask requirement — reported to health officials 88 cases shortly after classes resumed this month. Of those, 76 have been among students, state data shows.
While this week’s data showed there are about 50 outbreaks or clusters reported among day cares, child care centers and schools statewide, the overwhelming majority of those sites are reporting less than 10 coronavirus cases. In many cases, those locations are requiring masks and social distancing to curb the spread of the virus, as is called for under state and federal guidelines on return to school.
As of Thursday, Union Academy reported 109 cases, according to its own dashboard — 60 of those were in students Grades K-8. On Aug. 2, the school returned to a universal mask requirement.
“Requiring everyone to wear a mask has significantly reduced the number of students and staff who need to quarantine as well as our number of positive cases,” Jennifer Sutton Smith, the communications director at Union Academy, told the Observer. “That’s great news because we want students in class learning from their teachers and interacting with their peers.
Norris and his family live less than two miles to the Mecklenburg County line. Every county bordering Mecklenburg has a mask mandate for schools except for Union County.
“I wish we could afford to move but have no plans at this time,” Norris said. “My daughter is in first grade and will be wearing a mask. She has no problem wearing one. She likes the fun designs we have for her. She understands we are wearing masks to keep us and others healthy.”
This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 3:20 PM.
