Pittsboro, NC – During its meeting on August 5, 2021, the Chatham County Board of Education voted unanimously to continue universal masking for students and staff for the 2021-2022 school year. The requirement matches recommendations from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), the ABC Science Collaborative, and the Chatham County Public Health Department. Masking is a safety measure in response to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases that include the delta variant. Additionally, it is intended to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 that would result in mandatory quarantines at home for students and employees.
Masking in outdoor spaces will be optional.
At the school board’s July 19 meeting, several parents spoke against mandatory masking of students during the new school year.
School officials are looking forward to welcoming students back to campus on August 23. This year, students will report to school for in-person learning five days a week. Although safety-based measures will continue to be necessary, the goal is to resume as much normalcy as possible. Specific requirements and recommendations established by the NCDHHS are detailed in the StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit (K-12).