[ad_1]
CHARLOTTE, NC – The bitter back and forth continues to play out at school board meetings across the Charlotte area. The Union County School Board now plans to hold an emergency meeting Monday to address the threat of legal action from the North Carolina Health Department.
“Our attorneys have had productive conversations with attorneys for the Union County Board of Education, and we are hopeful that we can avoid further legal action. “ wrote a spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
Earlier this week they threatened legal action against Union county following the decision to eliminate recommended quarantine guidelines.
On Tuesday, school leaders voted to do away with quarantine guidelines for students that don’t test positive. Until this week, there were thousands of students in quarantine.
“I could not sit with that burden and simply do nothing,” said Rev. Jimmy Bintion Sr. a Union county school board member.
State health leaders are taking steps to inform the public and urge boards to follow the recommended guidelines.
“We are still in a state of very high viral spread. Statewide, but also within Lincoln county,” said State Health Director Elizabeth Tilson.
She spoke this week to the Lincoln County school board. She cited nine peer reviewed studies on the impact of masking in schools.
“Remarkably consistent findings of the effectiveness of universal masking in preventing spread in school,” said Tilson in regards to the studies.
Parents also spoke out against the mask mandate.
“We must stop giving into fear and emotional decision making and start using logic and risk analysis. We need to vote against this mask mandate,” said one parent.
Tilson explains that while children are experiencing mild symptoms, they’re still getting the virus and spreading it at record rates.
“For the first time ever in this pandemic, the highest rates of cases are in our children 0 to 17,” said Tilson.
The school board ultimately decided to do away with the mask mandate in the coming weeks.
Now, the state health department is looking into legal action against Lincoln County schools as well.
[ad_2]
Source link
