York School District 1 to require masks for all students and staff despite SC ban
A mask mandate in schools has arrived in York County.
Effective Wednesday, York School District One will require students, staff and visitors to wear facial coverings on district property. The new requirement was unanimously passed Monday at a special-called board meeting and comes months after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order banning schools and local governments from creating mask mandates.
“If your child comes to school without a mask on, they will be provided one to wear while inside all district-operated facilities,” per a district statement, which was provided to The Herald by public information officer Tim Cooper on Tuesday afternoon. “The Board of Trustees voted on this matter on Monday, August 30, 2021, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to keep as many students in school receiving face-to-face instruction as possible.”
Students with medical exemptions that prevent them from wearing masks are asked to provide documentation from a treating physician so the administration can assess the need on a “case-by-case basis,” per the statement.
The district clarified: “No state funds are being used to enforce this mask requirement.”
The decision comes as COVID-19 cases surge in YSD1. According to data presented to the board on Monday, York schools have had 87 students (1.7%) test positive for the coronavirus and 575 students (11.6%) quarantined this year as of Aug. 26 — which is a substantial amount of the district’s total enrollment of 4,972 students.
This data was directly compared to other districts in S.C. with district-wide mask requirements on Monday. Richland School District One, for example, has had 40 students (0.2% of its total enrollment) test positive for COVID and 225 students (1%) quarantine.
The update was shared via email and voice call to all YSD1 parents and staff on Tuesday, according to the district’s website. The Board of Trustees will take this matter up again at its Oct. 14 board meeting to determine whether the mask requirement will be extended.
No other school district in York County — Clover, Rock Hill or Fort Mill — has a similar mandate. The Chester County School District implemented a mask mandate earlier this month, rationalizing like York that its mask mandate does not break S.C. law so long as the district does not use state funding to enforce the requirement.
The South Carolina Supreme Court was set to hear arguments over whether McMaster’s mask ban is constitutional on Tuesday.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
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