Some parents concerned as Union County one of few NC school districts without required masks

The Union County Schools Board of Education is expected to meet on Tuesday and parents plan to express their COVID-19 concerns

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — There are 100 school districts across North Carolina that currently require masks to be worn, but Union County isn't one of them.

RELATED: LIST: K-12 schools in Charlotte-area districts mask, vaccine and remote learning decisions

Concerned community members say a mask mandate could help keep students and school staff safe after the district saw an outbreak of COVID-19 cases in the first few weeks of school.

As of Sept. 3, there have been 367 positive COVID-19 cases throughout Union County Schools with 5,410 people in quarantine.

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Credit: Union County Public Schools

“It’s going to keep happening," concerned parent Elena Brown said. "It’s not going to stop just because we want it to."

Last week, Brown helped host a virtual forum with local physicians to address some of the community COVID-19 concerns and the need for masks in schools.

“At this point, it's not an opinion, it’s proven fact," Brown said. “The ICUs are full, all of their practices are inundated so at this time we have to put politics aside and do what’s best for public safety and the community.”

Thousands of physicians across North Carolina have signed a petition asking Gov. Roy Cooper to mandate masks in schools.

The Union County School Board of Education is expected to meet in a closed session starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, followed by an open session at 7 p.m. with an agenda item on "COVID-19 Updates." A community-led rally asking that masks be mandated in schools will gather outside the school board meeting around 5:30 p.m.

Contact Briana Harper at bharper@wcnc.com and follow her on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.