Photo via Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.
While COVID-19 numbers are on the decline, the pandemic isn’t quite over yet — and for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, neither is the indoor mask mandate.
On Thursday, the CHCCS school board voted to drop its indoor mask mandate in favor of a “mask recommended” model — but not until April 4, the Monday after spring break. Separately, the board voted unanimously to lift the outdoor mask mandate, effective Monday, March 7.
The board’s vote on the indoor mandate was 6-1, with board member George Griffin as the only opposing vote. That decision comes as other local jurisdictions move more quickly to lift their own mandates: Orange County’s county-wide mask mandate will expire at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 7; UNC will lift its own mandate at the same time; and Orange County Schools will lift their mandate on Thursday, March 10.
CHCCS Superintendent Nyah Hamlett also recommended the board lift the mask mandate next week, and Griffin agreed. But the other board members balked, saying it wouldn’t give students, parents or staff enough time to prepare for the shift. Board member Ashton Powell added that a delay of several weeks would give students and staff one more chance – and an extra push – to get vaccinated or boosted.
Board members also cited a recent survey of nearly a thousand CHCCS faculty and staff members, which found nearly 65 percent in favor of keeping the mask mandate in place for now.
The board’s vote on Thursday came after an emotional public comment period, with residents weighing in on both sides. Some commenters cited mental health concerns as a reason to lift the mandate as soon as possible, an argument that drew sympathy from board members, including Powell. But Powell replied that the mental health crisis stems not from the masks, but from the pandemic itself.
“The mental health issues won’t go away when the masks do,” he said. “It’s not the masks that are causing the mental health issues – it’s the whole dang thing.”
In the end, the board voted to lift the outdoor mask mandate on March 7 and the indoor mandate on April 4. At that point, the district’s official policy will be “mask recommended.”
“Mask recommended” is functionally no different from “mask optional,” but board members and Superintendent Hamlett favored “recommended” as a way to signal that masks were still encouraged, even if not required.
Photo via Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.
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