Beaufort Co. Catholic schools make masks mandatory, flying in face of state law
Beaufort County’s Catholic schools — St. Gregory the Great in Bluffton, John Paul II in Okatie, St. Francis in Hilton Head and St. Peter’s in Lady’s Island — are now requiring students and staff to wear masks, following a Tuesday letter from the Charleston Diocese.
The schools are the first in the county to mandate masks this school year, flying in the face of a state budget proviso says any school or district that requires masks for students or staff will lose state funding.
“I completely understand that this unanticipated announcement will make some happy and others very upset,” St. Francis Catholic School Principal Brian Pope wrote in a Tuesday afternoon email to parents.
“Please know that the faculty and I will work together to incorporate this new temporary guideline to our daily routine with as much sensibility and ease as possible for the children.”
William Ryan, secretary for education and superintendent of Catholic schools for the Charleston Diocese, wrote in a letter to parents that the change was prompted by the recent increase in COVID-19 cases across the state.
“Masks will not be required outdoors, as long as appropriate social distancing can be maintained,” Ryan wrote. “We will continue to monitor reported cases and will revisit this policy as needed.”
The mask mandate went into effect Wednesday.
A county and statewide issue
Across the state, school districts and lawmakers are debating the proviso. A bipartisan group of four state senators have asked Senate President Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, for a special session to reconsider the ban.
Richland County Council and Columbia City Council each voted to require masks in elementary and middle schools within city limits.
Beaufort County’s school board discussed implementing a mask mandate for public schools Tuesday evening, but ultimately voted to postpone a decision “pending legal and public health advice.” The board has tentatively scheduled a meeting Monday to discuss a possible mandate.