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From YouTube: Policy ADD Press Conference - September 16, 2021
Description
In an effort to help protect the health and safety of our students and staff, the CCSD Board of Trustees has mandated and will now enforce the wearing of facemasks in all schools* and facilities by students, employees, and visitors, according to CCSD Policy ADD (Face Coverings). Enforcement of CCSD Policy ADD will begin on Monday, September 20, and will run through October 15 by Board action. Policy ADD may be extended beyond October 15, based on the county’s COVID activity as determined by SC DHEC.
*CCSD charter schools’ policies may differ.
A
And
thank
you
for
coming
out
to
this
press
conference
called
by
our
board
chair
reverend
dr
eric
mack,
regarding
the
enforcement
of
the
face
masks
inside
our
schools
and
buildings.
My
name
is
andy
pruitt,
director
of
communications
with
charleston
county
school
district
and
again
we
do
thank
you
for
coming
out
to
to
hear
from
reverend
mack
and
from
us
about
how
this
will
play
out
starting
on
monday.
So,
let's
get
right
to
it
and
let's
bring
in
our
board
chair
river,
dr
erica.
B
B
On
monday
night,
the
ccsd
board
took
action
to
mandate
and
enforce
wearing
face
masks
in
all
schools
and
on
all
school
buses,
undermining
our
strong
commitment
to
help
protect
the
health
and
the
well-being
of
those
persons
who
are
inside
the
schools
which
are
under
our
watch
and
care.
Beginning
next
monday
september.
20Th
all
students,
employees
and
visitors
must
wear
a
face
mask
in
all
ccsd
facilities.
B
We
ask
for
everyone's
compliance.
The
students
will
be
given
a
reasonable
opportunity
to
comply.
However,
those
who
continue
to
refuse
will
not
be
allowed
to
attend
class
with
students
who
are
wearing
face
mask
our
face.
Mask
policy
add
allows
the
board
to
continually
review
dhak
data
on
covet
spread
and
to
extend
the
mandate
or
take
other
actions
the
necessary
at
any
time.
B
We
believe
this
approach
is
consistent
with
the
wording
of
the
proviso.
1.108
parents
of
students
who
have
health
or
developmental
conditions
or
religious
exemptions
may
qualify
for
an
exemption
parents
of
students
who
request
to
be
exempt
from
the
policy,
for
other
reasons,
will
be
offered
virtual
instruction
for
the
period
of
our
policies
enforcement.
Only.
B
B
Our
data
show
that
the
positive
covert
rate
among
students
is
significantly
higher
than
it
was
at
the
peak
during
the
last
school
year.
We
simply
cannot
sit
by
and
do
nothing
while
those
numbers
continue
to
rise
and
increasing
numbers
of
students
are
forced
to
quarantine,
because
an
unmasked
person
is
seated
beside
them.
The
ccsd
board
passed
a
resolution
monday
night,
asking
the
general
assembly
reconsider
proviso,
1.108
to
return
to
local
school
boards,
the
decision-making
ability
to
take
the
actions
that
protect
the
health
and
safety
of
our
students
and
staff.
B
We
hope
that
our
general
assembly
will
not
add
to
the
harm
done
by
proviso
1.108
by
taking
money
away
from
school
districts
which
are
only
trying
to
protect
their
students
and
employees.
Some
of
the
details
on
the
ccsd
plan
to
carry
out
our
face
mask
policy
are
still
being
worked
out.
We
will
post
information
as
it
becomes
available
on
the
ccsd
website
and
school
websites,
as
well
as
through
emails
and
phone
calls
to
parents
in
the
next
couple
of
days.
B
We
have
stated
numerous
times
that
the
board's
collective
opinion
is
that
wearing
face
masks
in
school
is
one
essential
health
and
safety
measure
that
we
can
put
in
place.
Part
of
our
responsibility
is
to
do
all
we
can
to
help
prevent
severe
illness
or
death
from
covet
and
reduce
the
number
of
students
and
staff
who
are
forced
to
quarantine.
B
D
B
So
we
are
beginning
to
work
through
the
stipend
period
of
addressing
these,
as
we
begin
to
go
into
the
virtual
moment,
and
so
law
requires
that
we
must
pay
teachers
if
they
have
to
teach
both
in
class
and
virtual
at
the
same
time,
so
we're
all
working
out
those
numbers
to
give
stipend
to
those
teachers
so
that
we
can
offer
those
type
of
virtual
options
as
well,
particularly
those
students
are
now
in
quarantine
or
will
be
going
in
quarantine.
Should
they
contract
the
virus
or
come
in
contact.
E
B
A
Sure
again,
basically,
what
what
what
the
decision
was
made
is
to
use
funds
that
weren't
appropriated
for
this
current
school
year
and
so
the
money
that's
in
our
reserve
fund.
Our
fund
balance
was
not
appropriated
by
this
current
state
budget.
So
therefore,
that
money
is
not
that
money
we
could
use
to
then
fund
and
enforce.
F
Okay,
so
for
any
of
the
board
members,
because
you
may
be
walking
through
last
year,
you
said:
you've
had
a
face
mask
policy
in
place.
You
could
vote
and
put
that
in
place.
What's
the
frustration
level
been
this
year
that
you've
had
to
maybe
find
other
ways
to
enforce
that
policy
because
of
that
budget
review.
B
So
because
of
the
proviso
that
was
added
this
year,
that
we
could
not
enforce
those
policies
we
currently
see
now
compared
to
last
year,
and
this
year
face
mass
policy
were
in
place
statewide
and
we
were
able
to
do
that.
We
saw
where
the
numbers
also
was
significantly
low
when
face
mass
was
being
worn
at
that
particular
time.
Now
that
we're
back
into
the
beginning
of
the
school
year,
we
see
where
the
numbers
have
drastically
increased
due
to
vaccination
and
also
not
wearing
of
the
face
mask
as
well.
B
D
B
The
board
have
took
an
action
of
the
period
of
coming
over
the
date
of
october
15
2021..
We
do
have
a
board
meeting
prior
to
that.
I
will
assume
that
as
we
get
to
that
point
as
we
begin
to
reassess
where
the
numbers
are
and
if
we
have
to
extend
that
date,
that
will
definitely
be
something
the
board
will
have
to
take
up
at
that
particular
time.
But
right
now
we
have
set
a
date
of
october
15th.
D
B
So
right
now
the
board
have
took
an
action
of
of
mandating
the
mask
at
all
times
and
enforcing
that
throughout
the
entire
time.
But
let
me
also
say
that
there
are
opportunities
throughout
the
school
day
to
where
kids
have
the
opportunity
of
unmasking
to
get
a
breather
from
the
mask,
and
so
those
are
done
multiple
times
throughout
the
day.
So
students
are
not
wearing
masks
consistently
for
eight
hours
throughout
the
day.
C
I
have
a
question
for
some
of
the
medical
folks
here,
for
you,
a
mass
mandate
or
something
along
these
lines,
having
every
kid
wear
masks.
What's
your
hope
in
terms
of
bringing
those
numbers
down.
What's
some
of
the
science
behind
how
wearing
the
mask
can
help
bring
those
numbers
down
inside
schools.
G
Well,
for
us
from
the
medical
community,
it's
it's
common
sense
that
if
you
the
more
barriers
you
can
put
in
place
between
my
respiratory
system
and
my
neighbor's
respiratory
system,
the
better
chance
you
have
at
reducing
those
numbers
and
and
as
river
max
said
last
year,
we
saw
much
lower
numbers
compared
to
this
year
and
the
big
difference
is
the
the
mass
mandates
are
not
in
place
across
the
state.
We
don't
have
the
other
physical
barriers
and
such
social
distancing
requirements
that
we
had
in
place
last
year.
G
G
You
know
reduce
the
effects
on
the
economy,
from
parents
having
to
be
out
of
school,
because
kids
are
sent
home
to
quarantine
or
to
isolate
so
overall
just
reduction
in
the
numbers
so
that
the
medical
community
can
catch
up
to
caring
for
those
that
have
active
cases,
maybe
one
more
forever
and
mac.
I
know
you.
F
B
A
A
C
E
E
H
So
I'm
ellen
nitz,
I'm
the
director
of
nursing.
We
have
continued
to
provide
many
opportunities
for
all
of
our
eligible
students,
as
well
as
staff
to
get
vaccinated.
We
did
it
throughout
the
last
year
at
all
the
middle
schools
and
high
schools
during
our
fact
and
fee
times,
our
registration
at
our
school
levels.
We
did
choose
12
schools
that
we
also
had
vaccinations
available.
C
I
We
know
that
if,
if
both
children
are
wearing
a
mask,
they're
seated
at
least
three
feet
apart
and
one
contracts
covet,
if
both
have
on
masks
the
one
who
didn't
contract
cobot
does
not
have
to
quarantine.
If
those
two
students
haven't
been
closer
than
three
feet
for
a
total
of
15
minutes
throughout
the
day.
A
And
thank
you
for
coming
out
for
those
that
are
watching.
Thank
you
for
watching
and
more
information
will
be
coming
out
as
soon
as
possible.
Please
we
encourage
parents
to
make
sure
that
they're
they've
downloaded
our
ccsd
mobile
app,
because
information
will
not
just
be
related
through
call
outs
and
emails,
but
also
through
that.
So
we
really
encourage
people
to
download
again.
Thank
you
for
attending
and
thank
you
for
watching
reverend
mack.
Thank
you
for
holding
this
press
conference.
Thank
you
all
right.
Please
have
a
good
day.