Union County school board faces criticism, praise over vote to end student quarantines
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Union County dispute over COVID rules
Widespread quarantining of students has led to weeks-long arguing over public health authority and best practices.
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The largest group representing the state’s teachers and school employees scolded Union County’s school board Monday for its decision to halt COVID-19 contact tracing in schools and most quarantine procedures.
“The Union County Board of Education’s decision to allow students to attend school without masks, to end contact tracing, and to end most quarantine procedures is startling and deeply concerning,” said Tamika Walker Kelly, the NCAE president. “It’s reckless and flies in the face of Union County’s own health department, the state, and federal public health officials.
“NCAE is looking into safety options for staff and students, especially those who are not eligible for a vaccine during this ongoing pandemic.”
Earlier Monday, the Union County Board of Education voted 8-1 to eliminate mandatory quarantining. The Rev. John Kirkpatrick cast the only “no” vote.
Later Monday night, in front of dozens of parents who applauded and cheered the school board’s decision, Union’s board of county commissioners met jointly with the Union County Consolidated Human Services Board.
No action was taken, but state Health Director Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson provided information on COVID-19. She said she was aware of the Union school board’s decision but told both boards that it’s critically important to have “as many layers of protection as possible.”
State health officials have said vaccinations, mask wearing and COVID-19 testing remain other tools to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Tilson said for the state’s highest rate of cases are among those 17 and younger for the first time since March 2020. That’s “the majority (who are) not eligible for vaccination,” she said, and where “there’s a high rate of viral spread.”
Children under 12 years old are not eligible yet to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Despite health experts saying widespread quarantining in the district would help ensure safety, those in quarantine are free to return to school right away, the board decided Monday.
Union County schools now will only make sure students stay home if they are showing symptoms or have themselves tested positive, instead of requiring a proactive quarantine among students and staff after a known COVID-19 exposure.
Cassie Powers spoke at the joint meeting Monday night and was joined by others who supported the school board’s decision.
“I’m here to continue to stand up for the UCPS board and my children and the 7,000 children sent back to school today where they belong,” Powers said. “We will be successful this year without the bullying and fear-mongering from the state.”
Brian Helms also spoke at the meeting and thanked the school board members for their decision.
“We have to be very careful to not implement policy that violate civil rights,” Helms said. “The quarantine protocols that our board of education voted today, thank God, to remove ... violate civil rights of children.”
Union County doesn’t have mask mandate
Close to 17% of the school district’s students are not in school either because they contracted COVID-19 or had close contact at school with someone who was sick. Union County schools have nearly the same number of cases among students and staff as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, which has an enrollment more than three times higher.
As of Sept. 8, all but three of the state’s 115 school systems have opted for mask mandates with Union County remaining one of the few districts not requiring them.
In Union County, and elsewhere across North Carolina, many people are protesting mask mandates.
In CMS and schools nationwide with strict indoor mask mandates, the number of people forced to stay home after being exposed to the virus is far less. Health experts have said universal masking cuts down on transmission of COVID-19 and proactive quarantining reduces the risk of a single case becoming an outbreak in a school.
As of the week of Sept. 6-10, 7,385 students and staff in UCPS were quarantined, with 479 positive COVID-19 cases reported, according to UCPS data.
School staff will continue to report any positive cases to the Union County Health Department and provide information as required by the health department, the board voted.
This story was originally published September 13, 2021 at 8:28 PM.
