Face masks in Lexington-Richland 5 will stay in place, after attorney weighs in
Students in one Midlands school will still have to wear masks after all, at least for now.
Lexington-Richland 5 announced late Thursday that students will still be required to follow S.C. Department of Education guidelines on masking, despite a school board vote on Tuesday to do away with the requirement that students wear masks in school.
The district “has been advised by its attorney that, until the attorney has the opportunity to discuss the matter further with the Board,” that schools in the Chapin-Irmo district show still follow Education Department guidelines, according to a letter to parents sent out Thursday.
State guidelines require students and staff in public schools to wear a mask when entering a school building, moving through hallways, during pickup and drop off, while boarding, riding and exiting buses, and when social distancing is not possible.
Students may only remove their face coverings when directed to by a teacher or administrator while in the classroom or during special activities outside the classroom, according to the policy posted on its website.
Without a dedicated school district policy, those guidelines will remain in effect when students head to school on Monday. That was supposed to be the day students and their parents could choose whether or not they want to wear a mask, after the 4-2 school board vote to rescind its mask requirement at a special called board meeting Tuesday to address parents’ concerns about masks.
Instead, board members will now be briefed by an attorney on mask guidelines at a regular board meeting on Monday.
Some parents at Tuesday’s council meeting spoke against the mask requirement, arguing it induces too much stress in their children. Others asked the board not to rescind the policy, citing concerns that COVID-19 could still spread in schools even as many over the age of 16 now have the opportunity to get vaccinated.
National and global health experts say masks are one of the main tools that can be used to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say even those who are fully vaccinated should still wear them in large crowds and where social distancing isn’t possible. People who aren’t fully vaccinated are advised to wear masks indoors and in crowds outdoors.
