Give SC schools freedom to protect students, staff from COVID

Bold, courageous action like that displayed this week by the Richland 1 and Charleston County school districts is needed now more than ever to bring an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The school boards voted to require that everyone — students, employees and visitors — wear a mask or face covering in school, despite the risk that the decision will cost state funding.

COVID-19 and its highly-transmissible delta variant can lead to severe illness and death and the school board members know that no amount of state funding is worth the lives of their students, faculty and staff.

More than 10,000 South Carolina residents have already died since this pandemic began and today the state’s hospitals are once again seeing a surge in COVID-19 patients.

Gov. Henry McMaster and the State Legislature need to follow Richland 1 and Charleston County’s lead.

Be bold and protect the lives of your constituents.

Hold a special session of the legislature now and eliminate the poorly-conceived budget proviso that tied the hands of the state’s school districts and universities by banning mask mandates.

Rep. Stewart Jones, R-Laurens, inserted the amendments in the state budget to stop K-12 schools and colleges and universities from mandating that students, teachers and staff wear face masks.

He told our reporter, “I used that mechanism in the power of the purse in the state budget to protect our citizens and protect their liberty against what was going on with masks and vaccines.”

At the time, COVID cases were declining, vaccines were widely available and reopening of schools and businesses was in full swing.

But the situation has changed and the proviso has got to go.

Yes, vaccines are a major weapon in this battle, yet only 45.8 percent of South Carolina’s population is currently vaccinated and the unvaccinated continue to account for the vast majority of new cases and deaths. That means we must continue to rely on other weapons - good hygiene, social distancing,proper ventilation, and masks - to protect ourselves.

Richland 1 and Charleston County school officials know time is of the essence and they are not alone.

Hilton Head Island’s mayor declared a state of emergency. Professors at Clemson University planned a walkout because the university won’t impose mask or vaccine mandates. Parents and students have protested that some schools switched to virtual classes. A West Columbia business joined others in imposing vaccine mandates. Richland County Council has adopted an emergency ordinance requiring face coverings to be worn in school buildings and day cares. Columbia Mayor Stephen Benjamin declared a state of emergency and issued a mask mandate for local schools.

Each of these officials is trying to avert a tragedy and navigate a way out of what sometimes seems like a never-ending pandemic.

Gov. McMaster and the State Legislature, if they value human life, must be willing to do the same.

This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 10:45 AM.