GREENSBORO, N.C. — Governor Cooper urged mask-optional school districts to reconsider Monday.
He along with the state's top health experts wrote a letter to districts that decided not to require masks for students and staff regardless of vaccination status.
"The science is clear that children learn better when they attend school in person and the science is also clear that masks reduce COVID infections so we can keep them there," Cooper said. "The delta variant is moving fast and I strongly urge school leaders who have made masks optional to reconsider and make them mandatory."
WFMY News 2's Grace Holland dug deeper into what could happen if students test positive this school year.
When does a student need to quarantine?
Masking plays a big role in it.
Let's say there are two students unmasked and one tests positive for COVID-19. Under state guidelines, both students will have to quarantine. The same is true if only one of the students is masked. There are exceptions for vaccinated students and those who tested positive for COVID in the last three months.
If you have two students masked and one tests positive for COVID-19, only the student who tested positive will have to quarantine as long as the other student does not develop symptoms.
How will quarantine work?
Students who test positive or are exposed to a positive case must quarantine for seven to 14 days. The length depends on whether the student shows symptoms or tests negative for the virus while isolating.
Students will still be expected to complete their assignments during that time.
Districts work closely with their county health departments to determine who quarantines, for how long and whether a school will need to close because of cases.
How do districts decide when to close a school altogether due to cases?
Davidson County Schools is one of the districts without a mask mandate. According to the district's school opening plans, it's health department will decide closures based on a percentage of active infections.
Rockingham County Schools is another without a mask mandate. Its county health director, Trey Wright, said a lot goes into making the call to close a school. Wright said it varies on the size of the school and the outbreak, plus staffing and whether there's a virtual learning option.
Is it possible mask optional districts will require masks later?
WFMY News 2 asked local districts with optional masking whether they plan to reverse that decision.
The Davidson County Schools Board of Education has no plans to revisit the decision. The district said its superintendent will continue to monitor cases. The first day of school is Monday.
Rockingham County Schools is monitoring cases too and also has no plans to make a change. The district said it is possible that the Board of Education will talk about mask policy at their work session on August 30. The first day of school is August 23.