Daniel Prince
State Superintendent issues memo to districts to enforce CDC order
State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman sent out a memo to all school districts in the state reinstituting the enforcement of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s January 29th order requiring the use of face coverings on school buses.
All school districts must be in compliance with the face covering requirement on buses by Monday, August 30. The SC Department of Education will equip all state-owned school buses with an adequate supply of face coverings that meet the order’s requirements. If a student boards a bus without a face covering, bus drivers will offer the student a mask. However, the memo states, no student should be denied transportation for failing to adhere to the CDC order.
Those who are exempt from the requirement include a person with a disability who would be physically unable to remove a mask without assistance if breathing became obstructed, as well as a person with a disability that affects the person’s ability to understand the need to remove a mask if breathing becomes obstructed.