LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. — Lincoln County Schools will enact a 30-day mask mandate beginning Wednesday, the superintendent announced on Tuesday.
In an email to parents, staff and students, Superintendent Aaron Allen referenced the county’s health director, saying the county is at high risk for community transmission of COVID-19. According to Allen, the county’s health director recommended the mask mandate.
The district’s temporary mandate will be in effect for a minimum of 30 days, or until Sept. 17.
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The mandate is in effect for everyone inside LCS facilities, regardless of their vaccination status or COVID recovery exposure status. The mask mandate does not apply to outdoor activities.
Indoor athletics will require spectators to wear masks and to social distance in the stands. Student athletes sitting on the bench during competition will be required to wear their masks, but students on the court engaged in vigorous activity will be allowed to compete without their masks. This applies to practice times as well. Social distancing will be expected at practices whenever possible.
All school visitors will be required to follow the mandate.
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Per CDC guidance, masks are already mandatory for all staff and students while traveling on a yellow or white bus for school purposes.
Students and staff will have frequent mask breaks through the course of the day.
Anyone seeking an exception to this requirement will have to provide medical documentation and submit that in writing to their principal.
LCS and health department officials will monitor data on a daily and weekly basis and will post updates each week on the LCS website.
Additional information is also available on the NC Strong Schools Toolkit.
“This issue is a very polarizing issue and I want each of you to know that the decision to institute this mandate did not come easily and was filled with much discussion,” Allen said. “We, in essence, are returning to many of the practices that we ended the 2020-2021 school year with and our students should be able to fall right back into the routine. I thank you ahead of time for your patience to our school staff and your ability to understand that our priority is to get staff and students into the school year for effective face to face teaching and learning.”
(WATCH BELOW: Some exposed to COVID at schools in Lincoln County won’t have to quarantine)
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