Lexington-Richland 5 schools won’t require students and staff to wear face masks

The Lexington-Richland 5 school district said it encourages, but will not require, students and staff to wear masks in schools in spite of a mandate passed by the Richland County Council.

The school district made its statement about masks late Monday night, hours after a special meeting where the Richland County Council passed a countywide mask mandate for schools as students prepare to return to the classroom this week.

LR5 officials said the district will continue to follow a proviso in the South Carolina state budget which says “no school district may require the wearing of face masks by students and staff in educational facilities.”

The location of LR5’s schools was a determining factor in the decision.

“School District Five is comprised of two counties, Richland and Lexington, with half of our schools located in each county,” officials said in a news release. “To provide consistency for our School District Five family, the district will continue to follow the proviso.”

Lexington County has not issued any mandates regarding masks in schools.

In spite of it’s announcement, LR5 officials said they “strongly encourage students and staff to wear face masks.”

Students and staff are also encouraged to consult with doctors about other mitigation measures, including the vaccine, LR5 officials said in the release.

“The district has and will continue to follow all safety measures recommended by state and federal authorities related to the pandemic,” LR5 officials said. “Safety is our top priority.”

For information on mitigation strategies and procedures, LR5 set up an online resource page for community members.

Wednesday is scheduled to be the first day of classes for all students in the LR5, Richland 1, and Richland 2 school districts.

Under Richland County’s new ordinance, all public and private schools as well as day cares in the unincorporated parts of the county would be required to mask students, faculty and staff if they serve children between the ages of 2 and 14.

The new rule is intended to protect children too young to get a COVID-19 vaccine, who could still contract and spread the virus. It applies to schools in the unincorporated parts of the county, a county spokesperson told The State Monday.

The mask mandate could lead to serious consequences for Richland County schools.

In May, Gov. Henry McMaster blocked all school districts and local governments from requiring face coverings by issuing an executive order. In June, the state Legislature also adopted a proviso for the 2021-22 school year that prohibits schools from requiring masks be worn by students.

“The proviso threatens the districts with loss of state funding if they attempt to enact or enforce a facemask policy,” Richland County Council Chair Paul Livingston previously said.

On Aug. 5, Columbia City Council approved Mayor Steve Benjamin’s emergency order requiring masks in most Columbia schools as COVID-19 cases rise.

The U.S. is experiencing a third wave of COVID cases during the pandemic because of the highly-contagious delta variant.

South Carolina has seen more than 667,000 (confirmed and probable) cases of the coronavirus and 10,108 deaths since the start of the pandemic. With 45% of the state’s population fully vaccinated, health officials are urging people to get the COVID vaccine to help limit the spread of the virus and to protect themselves.

This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 8:10 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription