LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. — Lincoln County health leaders are urging the school district to reinstate its mask mandate for students and staff.
The board voted on Sept. 14 to make masks optional in schools, joining Union County as the only districts in the Charlotte region to not have a mask mandate in place. Under the new policy, students and staff are required to be in school for in-person learning unless they are COVID-19 positive or have a written quarantine order.
“It seems like a strange time to abandon the things that have been proven over and over again in school systems around the country to be effective,” Dr. David Priest with Novant Health said.
Last week, the health director sent a letter to the board showing just how bad the COVID-19 situation is in Lincoln County. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the county's positivity rate is above 14% and cases among kids are growing.
The health director is uring Lincoln County Schools to follow North Carolina state health guidelines, including mandatory masking.
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