Survey finds the majority of Lexington One parents and staff think the school board should consider temporary mask requirements

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– Officials with Lexington School District One say a majority of parents/guardians surveyed agree that the Board of Trustees should consider temporary mask requirements during times of high community spread. Officials say nearly 75% of parents/guardians in the district completed the one-question survey, and 69.8% agree that the board should consider temporary mask requirements.

District officials say 81% of staff completed the survey, and 69% agreed the board should consider a temporary mask requirement.

“For months, we have heard from a small and vocal group of parents and staff on both sides of the mask debate,” said Board of Trustees Chair Anne Marie Green. “We wanted to know how our entire community truly felt about masking. The results of this survey reveal that an overwhelming majority of our families and staff are in favor of our local school board being able to implement a temporary mask requirement to keep students and staff safe during periods of high community spread. During our September meeting, we will consider a resolution urging the General Assembly to repeal Proviso 1.108 to restore local control in this matter. If adopted, this will enable school boards to react quickly when our communities are experiencing high spread of the virus and equip us to better protect our students and staff.”

The district says that about 17,500 households, consisting of up to 28,000 students, make up the district. Officials say 12,985 households responded to the survey.

School officials say that more survey information will be shared at the school board meeting on Tuesday.