Must students wear masks? Can they get vaccines? Answers to NC school COVID questions
North Carolina’s 1.5 million public school students are back in class starting a new school year that’s under the cloud of COVID-19.
Some things are the same as the last school year, when new health and education measures were put in place to try to slow the transmission of the coronavirus. But there are some important differences from last year.
Here are some things to know about the new school year.
Do students and teachers have to mask at school?
Unlike last school year, there’s no statewide school mask mandate, so rules vary by school district. Gov. Roy Cooper is encouraging, but not requiring, schools to mask up students, school employees and visitors.
▪ Depends on the district: As of Monday, 87 of the state’s 115 school districts are requiring face coverings be worn inside school buses and school buildings. A few districts are also requiring masks to be worn outdoors at school campuses.
▪ Exemptions: Even in districts that require masks, parents can request an exemption such as if their child as a medical or learning issue that prevents them from being masked. But the final decision on mask exemptions resides with each school.
What happens if someone at school gets COVID?
School districts have different policies for how they’ll handle COVID-19 cases at school.
▪ Individual case notifications: Most districts will only notify families that a specific class has had a student test positive for COVID-19 if their child is a close contact to the infected student. Many districts also maintain online dashboards that list if a school has had a COVID-19 case reported.
▪ Cluster notifications: Districts will usually notify all the families at a school if a cluster has been identified. A cluster is five or more cases with a 14-day period.
What happens if my child is exposed to COVID at school?
Last month, the state Department of Health and Human Services eased the quarantine rules for students who are in close contact with a student who has tested positive for COVID-19.
▪ Quarantine protocols depend on masking: DHHS now says an exposed student doesn’t have to quarantine if both kids were wearing face masks and are in schools that are requiring face coverings. School boards that had originally decided to make face masks optional have cited this state change as part of the reason for now requiring masks.
But the final call on quarantines is up to each local health department, which can adopt stricter rules than the state.
Can my student take virtual classes if worried about COVID?
It’s going to depend on your child’s school.
Unlike last school year, North Carolina is no longer requiring schools to provide remote learning for students concerned about COVID-19.
Some school districts and charter schools have argued they’re not providing virtual options this year because the state won’t let them. But other districts, such as Wake County and Durham Public Schools, say they can offer virtual options.
Legislation about how to provide virtual learning for this school year has been hung up in the General Assembly.
Do students need parental permission to get COVID vaccine?
Parental consent is needed — for now — only for people under age 16 to get a COVID shot.
▪ NC’s law and FDA approval: Last week, Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law a bill that included a provision saying minors need parental consent for any vaccine with emergency use authorization that isn’t fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
But on Monday, the FDA gave full approval for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for people age 16 and older, so students age 16 and up can get the Pfizer vaccine without parental consent.
The vaccine is still under emergency authorization for people age 12 to 15, so parental consent would be required for those students.
This story was originally published August 23, 2021 at 2:22 PM.
