CMS Board Votes 8-1 To Make Masks Mandatory For Everyone This Fall

Every county surrounding Mecklenburg has voted in recent days to make masks optional for teachers and staff. CMS, however, voted this morning to make masks mandatory for all students, staff, and visitors regardless of vaccination status. Masks will be required at all times while indoors or on busses. Face coverings will be optional outdoors. The mandate is for the entire year, though it will be revisited at the end of the academic quarter or if specific guidance calls for it.

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The vote passed 8-1, Sean Strain was the only board member to cast a vote against requiring masks. The board says they made the decision based on national and local guidance, the delta variant, and current covid numbers. Many parents are not in favor of this decision and adamantly believe that CMS should not make masks mandatory. Parents who were on-site at the meeting vocally opposed the decision. CMS is the only Charlotte-area school district to require face coverings this fall.

While children under 12 are not able to be vaccinated, research has shown that children are at a much lower risk for covid than adults. Do you believe masks should be optional or mandatory?

View the full release from CMS here.