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Masks in class: Here's when CMS could potentially drop its mask mandate

The first step could happen on Wednesday if county commissioners vote to remove the mask mandate, which schools fall under.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The push for change around COVID-19 protocols in schools continues. Several boards of education voted to make masks optional on Monday night and now, there are only five school districts in the WCNC Charlotte viewing area with mask requirements.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Watauga County, Anson County, Richmond County, and Alexander County schools all still have mask mandates in place. This comes days after the state announced they’ll be eliminating contact tracing and changing quarantine guidelines. Those changes go into effect Monday, Feb. 21.

There’s potential for some changes in Mecklenburg County and CMS schools in the next week or so. The first step could happen on Wednesday if county commissioners vote to remove the mask mandate, which schools fall under.

It has been a long two years of the pandemic and some parents think now is the time for change.

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“We’re just for choice," Kelli Harris with the parent advocacy group 'Free the smiles' told WCNC Charlotte. "We believe that two years into this, kids need to be breathing freely."

Harris does not have a child in CMS but joined a small group outside of Barnette Elementary school on Tuesday, holding up signs in protest of a mask mandate.

CMS is now on a dwindling list of districts enforcing masking in the classroom. On Monday night, Iredell-Statesville, Cleveland County, and Caldwell County schools all moved back to optional masking.

Dr. Katie Passaretti, Vice President and Enterprise Chief Epidemiologist at Atrium Health, said while the percent positivity rate is still much higher than 5%, the original trigger to drop the mandate, the community is in a different place than before.

“I think in part it’s reflective of we have a higher level of community protection than we have had previously,” she said. “Whether from the very large number of people with recent infection, higher rates of vaccines and boosters.”

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The state is still recommending districts follow CDC guidance, masking in schools where the community transmission rate is substantial or high, meaning the percent positivity rate is higher than 8%. It’s guidance the federal government looks to as it’s “north star.”

Dr. Cameron Webb with the White House COVID-19 task force said masking is still appropriate in the school setting.

“I think right now there’s a lot of enthusiasm because we’ve seen case numbers decrease significantly from the peak of the omicron surge," he told WCNC Charlotte. "But just to be clear, case numbers are not by any stretch of the imagination low in most places across the country."

The next scheduled CMS Board of Education meeting is next Tuesday, Feb. 22.

Contact Chloe Leshner at cleshner@wcnc.com and follow her on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

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