At odds with S.C. officials, Allendale County schools require masks on buses
AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Aiken County students return to class today along with kids from several other local counties in South Carolina.
In Allendale County, all students and employees will be required to wear masks on buses.
A proviso in the state budget says districts can’t enact mask mandates, according to Gov. Henry McMaster and Attorney General Alan Wilson.
State Superintendent Molly Spearman, however, recently asked state lawmakers to reconsider the ban. And the teacher advocacy group SC for Ed is calling for South Carolina cities to enact mask mandates in schools, like the city of Columbia has, drawing a threat from Wilson.
The Allendale County mask policy was previously announced in a Facebook video from Superintendent Dr. Margaret Gilmore, who further outlines measures being taken to protect students and employees from the spread of COVID-19.
“All employees and all students will wear a mask on campus and on the bus,” she said in that video, then repeated the statement.
“Face masks will be provided to all of our students and all of our employees,” she said in the video.
Visitors must also wear masks, she said.
“We remain committed in the Allendale County school district to the health and safety of our students and staff,” she said.
“I can assure you that we are following lots and lots of protocols to make sure students and staff are safe.”
Back-to-school plans
Kids return today in Aiken, Allendale, Barnwell, Bamberg and Edgefield counties, then Saluda County schools start Thursday.
This is the last round of local kids returning to class, with Georgia kids and some South Carolina students already back — although Burke, Taliaferro and Glascock counties have gone to virtual learning for now because of the surge in COVID-19 cases.
In Aiken County, district officials say they’ve learned from last year how to navigate the school year with some added safety measures to make sure your kids are safe.
Aiken County education officials say the way to keep schools open and safe is still the same message.
“I can’t think of anything more important than to encourage people to wear those masks when they’re in public, especially inside and in closed spaces, and to be vaccinated,” said King Laurence, superintendent.
We asked what the biggest thing they learned from last year was. They say tracing and quarantining. Now the district plans to keep students in small groups to avoid mass quarantining which usually shuts down schools.
“I think that’s going to be key to making sure we keep as many kids in school as possible every day,” said Laurence.
For sporting events, stadiums can be at 70 percent capacity. Social distancing and mask-wearing is encouraged but not required. And parents are happy to have their normal routines back.
We asked about vaccination rates in teachers and they say that only half of their teachers in the county responded to the survey. Now of that half around 70 percent of them said they have been vaccinated. That’s about 1,500 teachers.
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