At a specially called meeting Tuesday night, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education voted to approve a universal mask requirement in schools as well as mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations or weekly testing for staff.
The universal mask requirement will apply to all students and staff in indoor and outdoor school buildings for the 2021-2022 academic year. Additionally, the board approved mandatory COVID-19 testing and mask wearing for unvaccinated students and staff who participate in school athletics and other extracurricular activities.
Masks may be removed while actively eating or drinking, although the district is encouraging outside eating and maintaining three to six feet of physical distancing during mealtime.
The district said mask exemptions, mask breaks, or alternative safety measures may be permitted with medical documentation and will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
CHCCS will also be collecting the vaccination status or proof of vaccination from staff. Unvaccinated staff will be required to undergo weekly COVID testing, per the school board’s request. Screening and testing will also be offered for unvaccinated students.
CHCCS superintendent Dr. Nyah Hamlett said recent data shows 64 percent of Orange County residents are vaccinated – and of those vaccinated, approximately 60 percent are children ages 12-17. Those numbers, however, may not accurately depict district staff vaccination rates.
“Approximately 48.1% of our staff, CHCCS staff, live outside of Orange County,” Hamlett said. “So that’s some data that we may not have that would fall in that Orange County health department data. We currently don’t have a system to measure vaccine status for all staff and students, although we will soon be in the process of collecting that information from our staff in reference to vaccination status.”
Universal mask requirements will be reassessed at the end of each academic quarter, or when recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Orange County Health Department, and American Academy of Pediatrics suggest otherwise.
“As you know, as we work through returning to school in the spring, conditions change, decisions change, recommendations change so often that we want to be able to put ourselves in a position to reassess and pivot as quickly as possible to meet the needs of our community,” said Hamlett.
Given the prevalence of the delta variant, the CDC updated its guidance last week, recommending universal mask wearing in schools for teachers, students and visitors, regardless of vaccination status.
At this time, all visitors, volunteers, and field trips will be discontinued until further notice, a change from just a few months ago.
“We realize there are many additional questions that need answers,” said Jeff Nash, CHCCS spokesperson. “Our school leaders and district administrators are working hard to make those complicated decisions, and we will have more detailed information for you in the coming days. Thank you for your patience as we continue to work through plans for a safe and healthy school experience for all of our students and staff.”
The CHCCS Board of Education is scheduled to meet again Thursday evening.
Students and teachers are set to return to the classroom for in-person learning August 23.
Lead photo via Juli Leonard/The News & Observer/AP.
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