Masks and vaccines will be optional for Greenville County Schools students this fall and virtual programs are again available, according to a FAQ released by the district on Wednesday, Aug. 4.
“This is an extremely dynamic environment — as it has been for more than a year and a half,” Superintendent Burke Royster told the board of trustees on Aug. 3. “We believe we were on a very positive path forward the beginning of the summer and I think no one is a stranger to the news that there’s great concern about this rising number of cases of the Delta variant of the virus.”
Provisos that were passed in the state budget this year prevent South Carolina public schools from having face mask mandates. Royster explained that the provisos and requirements from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control both had an effect of law. Royster said the school district will observe the provisos even as DHEC’s recommendations cannot be followed due to the provisos.
Masks will be required in health rooms for those who show COVID-19 symptoms and the district has no plans to separate students who do not wear masks from those who do wear masks. Plexiglass dividers have been removed from all student seating areas, according to the district’s FAQ.
“The provisos has the effect of law, so we’re following it just like we’re following the requirement from DHEC for quarantine, which has the effect of law because it’s regulation subsequent to statutory authority,” said Royster.
The district has left open the possibility for changes to its guidelines should the law change based on the ongoing pandemic.
