The measure passed 8-1, with the Rev. Jimmy Bention the lone objector. He said he could not support it because it “will cause healthy kids to be sent home.”
Dr. Mandy Cohen, North Carolina’s Secretary of Health, threatened legal action if the board did not update its policies. Cohen’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Emily Goss decided to homeschool her 5-year-old son, Berkeley, after the kindergartener was quarantined early in the school year without a remote learning option.
“We didn’t really see a choice but to pull out because, at least in Union County, it’s just gonna keep being a political fight all year long,” Goss said.
Some parents blame the district for refusing to mandate masks to curb virus spread, but they also fault the governor and other state leaders for not doing more to intervene. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper signed a bill into law last month that shifts more power to local school boards and allows them revisit their masking policies every month. Cooper’s administration no longer requires a statewide mask mandate or remote learning option.
In the meantime, parents continue to make difficult choices.
Sushanth Kancharla, a father of two elementary school students in the district, kept his kids in the classroom, but fears for their safety because of the lack of a mask mandate.
