Charter school asks Beaufort leaders for exemption to coronavirus face mask rule
Bridges Preparatory School is asking for an exemption from Beaufort’s mask ordinance for teachers and students, city council documents show.
The exemption would be for the school’s kindergarten through second grade campus at 1100 Boundary St., according to a letter sent from Tom Angelo, the school’s board chairman, to the city council ahead of a Tuesday meeting.
Under the city’s mask ordinance, anyone inside a building that’s open to the public must wear a face mask. Retail employees also must wear masks in areas accessible by customers or near other employees, including when outdoors.
Currently, the ordinance will end July 31, but the city council will decide Tuesday whether or not to extend the ordinance to Sept. 15.
Bridges Prep, a public charter school, is arguing that:
Some students and staff “may be unable to wear a face covering because of medical reasons.”
Students “will likely touch their faces more while wearing a mask or even remove them,” and expecting teachers to monitor students for compliance “would be an added strain on everyone.”
Teachers’ masks could impede learning for students with special needs, deaf or hard of hearing students, non-native English speakers and students that require speech or language interventions.
Unlike other ordinances in the county, there is no specified age range exempt from the Beaufort ordinance. However, it includes exemptions for those unable to safely wear a mask “due to age or underlying health condition” and those unable to remove a mask without help.
Angelo outlined some of the school’s planned safety measures in his letter to city council, including a plan to handle a student exhibiting symptoms of or testing positive for COVID-19. The student will be sent home and will not be allowed to return to school without a doctor’s note clearing them.
Per the school’s published reopening plan, if there is a suspected COVID-19 case in one classroom, the families in that classroom will be notified and students will be required to wear masks and have their temperatures checked every day for five days. The classroom will be deep-cleaned the evening the school finds out about the suspected case.
Students have the option of face-to-face or fully virtual instruction for the fall semester, which will begin Aug. 12.
Under the face-to-face model, students will attend in-person classes four days a week, with Wednesdays reserved for deep cleaning and “synchronous” instruction, meaning they will watch lessons being taught in real time.
Students must be registered for online-only instruction by Thursday, according to the school’s website.
The city council will take action on Bridges Prep’s letter at Tuesday’s meeting, which will begin at 7 p.m.