Richland 1 board member to seek expansion of mask rule for schools outside Columbia
The Richland 1 school board may expand the City of Columbia’s mask mandate to district schools that are outside of the city limits, the board vice chair said Thursday.
“I am prepared to make a motion at our August 10 meeting that the Board extend the city’s order to include all elementary and middle schools in Richland One,” board vice chair Cheryl Harris said in a news release. “Protecting the health and safety of our students and staff will continue to be our priority.”
Harris, whose district includes the Lower Richland area, said many of the 12 schools not covered by the City of Columbia’s mask mandate for schools are in the Lower Richland area.
In the release, Harris commended Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin’s announcement of an emergency mask mandate, which requires all students between the ages of two and 14 in schools and day cares to wear a mask. Thursday, Columbia City Council approved Benjamin’s emergency declaration in a 5-1 vote.
Benjamin’s announcement was made as COVID-19 cases are trending back upward in the state and the delta variant is likely becoming more prominent.
A one-year law rolled into the state’s budget, called a proviso, prevents schools from mandating all students wear masks, something that contradicts the advice of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Harris rebuked the proviso as preventing the school board from carrying out its oath to protect children.
Should Richland 1 approve expanding the order, it could face a challenge from state Republicans. S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson, who advised the University of South Carolina to change its mask policy, said he may issue a statement on the City of Columbia’s emergency mask mandate.
Harris also said in the release she has secured private funding from the religious community and local businesses to provide masks for students and employees.
“No state funds or other public tax dollars will be used for that purpose,” Harris said of the masks.
