‘End the drama’ over COVID-19 in schools, SC board member says. Others urge caution

The superintendent of Greenville County schools said Tuesday it is too early to say school will return to pre-coronavirus life next fall.

But one school board member, Angie Mosley, pushed back strongly. With vaccine availability and declining cases, she said, all protocols such as mask wearing, social distancing and using plexiglass shields between students should be removed.

“People want to get back to normal,” Mosley said in a back-and-forth conversation with Superintendent Burke Royster during Tuesday’s board meeting. The debate at times became somewhat heated.

Mosley noted the University of South Carolina and Clemson University have already said they will return to a more normal semester in the fall with in-person class and fans in sports stands.

Royster said the district is following the advice of medical experts and that county school officials are dealing with the safety of children, not adults as colleges are.

“The medical experts are saying it’s too early to pull the plug right now,” Royster said.

Even with vaccinations ramping up across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend that people take safety precautions including wearing face masks in public and avoiding large gatherings to prevent spreading COVID-19.

Mosley criticized the presentations last month of a pediatrician from the Medical University of South Carolina and medical professionals from two local hospital systems. She said the panel should have included someone who had a background in how COVID-19 has affected children’s mental health.

Royster said the MUSC doctor had conducted a study on COVID-19 safety and the need for masks, social distancing a plexiglass. He said he is not aware of anyone who has studied COVID and mental health of children. At Mosley’s urging, he said he would bring a mental health expert to a meeting within the next two months.

“Why can’t we have a choice” between in-person school without restrictions and virtual learning, Moseley asked. She called the reason for the establishing protocols “irrational fear.”

“End the drama right here,” she said. She also said the district was not responsible for public health but for educating students.

“We’re not doing a very good job with that right now,” she said.

Greenville County students in elementary and middle school have the option of attending in-person classes full-time. High school students go to school in-person 75% percent of the time and spend 25% of their time doing virtual learning. Masks, social distancing and plexiglass shields are required in the schools.

Four of the seven school districts in neighboring Spartanburg County intend for schools to be back to full-time face-to-face instruction in the fall. Districts 1, 2, 5 and 7 are in-person now, with an option for virtual learning, spokespeople for the districts said.

Aly Myles, spokesperson for Spartanburg District 3, said next year has not yet been discussed but it likely would remain as it is now with masks and other safety measures with the option for full-time, face-to-face instruction and an alternative virtual program.

“We’re following DHEC, CDC and local health providers’ advice, so if they say to change it, that’s what we’ll follow,” Myles said..

Adrain Acosta of District 2 said they are following DHEC guidelines.

“However, if we continue to trend as we are now, we fully expect to open the ‘21-’22 school year with a traditional schedule,” Acosta said.

Melissa Robinette of Spartanburg District 5 said it’s too early to say whether safety protocols will be in place in the fall. She imagines some will be but she can’t predict.

“It’s only March,” she said.

Spartanburg District 4 Superintendent Rallie Liston said students have been in face-to-face instruction for months and the plan is for the restrictions now in place to be lifted. He said, however, they will follow whatever guidelines CDC and DHEC set.

The cases in Woodruff, where District 4 is located, have been decreasing, and teachers are being vaccinated, he said. Many students who had been on virtual learning are returning to the classroom.

Liston said his district of about 3,000 students has had a robust testing effort at the district office.

Representatives of Spartanburg District 6 did not respond to a request for comment.

This story has been edited to include comments from Spartanburg District 4 Superintendent Rallie Liston.

This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 5:00 AM.