Aiken County school district: Masks in school to be optional, pending opt-out form from DHEC

May 12—Masks will still be required in schools until the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control releases an opt-out form for parents and guardians, Superintendent King Laurence said at Tuesday's school board meeting.

Gov. Henry McMaster released an executive order Tuesday evening stating that parents can opt out of face coverings for their children in South Carolina schools.

"We have known for months that our schools are some of the safest places when it comes to COVID-19," McMaster said in a press release. "With every adult in our state having the opportunity to receive a vaccine, it goes against all logic to continue to force our children — especially our youngest children — to wear masks against their parents' wishes. Whether a child wears a mask in school is a decision that should be left only to a student's parents."

After receiving information from the South Carolina Department of Education during the Aiken County Board of Education meeting, Laurence said students will still have to wear masks until the opt-out form is available.

Face coverings on school buses will still be required, Laurence said.

"It does exempt buses, because we have a presidential executive order on public conveyances that requires face coverings, and school buses are included in public conveyances. The president's executive order overrides the governor's executive order," Laurence said.

Other business

In a first reading, school board members went through revisions to the Code of Student Conduct, with changes in the works for dress code and other infractions.

Taking tobacco-related products, including vaping items, to school may land high school students with 3-5 days of out-of-school suspension on first offense with the revised policy.

Board member Brian Silas said he appreciated the Code of Conduct Committee for stiffening the penalty for vaping and tobacco offenses.

"Quite frankly, if it were up to me, we'd skip that and go straight to expulsion. I say that not half-heartedly, because I really feel like this is becoming such a fast-growing problem in our schools that really threatens the safety, short- and long-term, of our students," Silas said.

Johnny Spears, student services hearing officer for the school district, said vaping is "extremely popular" in middle and high school.

"The alarming thing of it, of vaping itself, is how easily and readily-available some of the materials are," Spears said, taking out confiscated vaping devices to demonstrate their small size and possibly inconspicuous appearance.

Another change in the Code of Conduct would allow students to wear ripped jeans — even with holes above the knee — so long as they wear tights or leggings underneath.

"When you have a vendor or you have clothing manufacturers that put out long pants or jeans with nothing but holes in them, it's hard to find clothes," Spears said. "So the committee felt that we might as well add something where they can wear leggings or tights underneath the jeans just to keep the skin covered."

District 5 board member Barry Moulton was absent from the meeting.

To view a livestream of the board meeting, visit acpsd.net.