Masks To Be Optional When MGSD Students Return To Class Next Week

MOORESVILLE, NC — When students and teachers return to classrooms in Mooresville Graded School District next week, wearing a mask will be optional, school leaders decided Sunday.

The decision runs counter to guidance issued last week by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services calling for mandatory face coverings in all K-8 schools, and among unvaccinated students and teachers in high schools.

Following that guidance, however, would be difficult and disruptive to learning, the school district said.

"When making decisions around hot-button topics, the MGSD board focuses on one question: What is best for the children of their district?" the school district said in a statement. "In this situation, the best answer is to keep kids healthy and in school. That being said, MGSD believes under the new Toolkit, the ability to enforce masking is difficult and could also pose a disruption to learning. Therefore, through close collaboration with an attorney and the Iredell County Health Department, MGSD has established a strong plan to keep our students safe and keep them in school, with minimal disruptions for our staff. "

SEE ALSO: NC Makes Decision Regarding School Mask Policy For Upcoming Year

Last Wednesday, Gov. Roy Cooper and DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen unveiled the state's new guidance for North Carolina schools rooted in continuing its focus on face coverings as a means to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

The statewide school policy guidance was issued as COVID-19 cases have risen sharply in the past week, largely spreading among unvaccinated residents and reversing months of progress.

Last week, the number of new cases in the state jumped by 66 percent in the span of one week, with nearly 2,000 new cases and 817 hospitalizations reported Thursday, DHHS said Friday. Of those seeking medical treatment in North Carolina, 132 were admitted in the span of 24 hours. More than 94 percent of the new cases in the state were in people who were not fully vaccinated, DHHS said.

When North Carolina schools resume classes next month, they will be filled with unvaccinated children. As of last week, only 24 percent of children ages 12 through 17 eligible for vaccine were fully vaccinated.

"Many students can't get their shots because children under 12 can't be vaccinated yet," Cooper said last week.

SEE ALSO: Sharp Spike In NC's New COVID-19 Cases Targets Unvaccinated

Here's what MGSD Board of Education approved in the July 25 meeting:

• Masks will be optional when classes resume Aug. 2.
• Masks will be mandatory on all MCSD school buses.
• The optional nature of the policy could change. "If at any point the county or the schools meet certain thresholds as recommended by health officials, masking will be required either district wide, school specific, or for an individual classroom, depending on the situation, until the heightened danger passes and/or numbers show a decline.

"If a child is unable to wear a mask for medical reasons, they can receive a medical exemption from their doctor," MGSD said. "Additionally, if a parent has a bona fide religious exemption, MGSD will consider it."

More information about MCSD's mask policy decision may be found here.