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In a move that may have national implications, one of South Carolina’s largest school districts asked the state’s highest court to determine whether state legislators have the constitutional right to prevent local school officials from protecting students from the COVID-19.
South Carolina is not handling COVID well.
The Palmetto State currently has the ninth-highest rate of positive coronavirus cases and deaths per capita. Over the last two weeks, South Carolina’s COVID death rate has risen 278 percent. In spite of mask recommendations from the CDC and the state’s health department, South Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature decided to invite the deadly contagion into its school with open arms. In July, South Carolina’s General Assembly passed a mask mandate prohibition, a proviso bannings districts and individual schools from requiring students, teachers and other employees to wear facemasks.
“The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) interprets the above language to mean that school districts are prohibited from requiring students and employees to wear a facemask while in any of its educational facilities for the 2021-22 school year,” a July 6 memo said. “Should a district decide to act contrary to this law, state funding may be withheld.
”Apparently, disregarding the advice of public health officials, doctors and scientists does not work. Since the first day of classes, schools across the state have reported thousands of cases of COVID-19. According to The State, more than 600 students and staff members have tested positive for the deadly disease in Columbia, S.C. area schools.
Read rest of The Root story here.
