Gov. McMaster’s grants will help private schools like Holy Trinity Catholic School

On SAFE Grants

Holy Trinity Catholic School has served families in the community for generations.

These last few months, however, have been difficult.

We have done our best to continue meeting the needs of those who have chosen our school, and we will continue to do so. But attending Holy Trinity carries a cost for most families, many of whom have been hard-hit by the pandemic.

We are extremely grateful that Gov. Henry McMaster announced a program that offers grants of up to $6,500 to low- and middle-income families so they can stay in the schools of their choice during these trying times.

The SAFE Grants program is a lifeline for SC families whose lives have become more unstable these past months. It will enable them to keep their children in schools that work best for them — and it will enable us to continue educating those students.

We thank the governor for his leadership, and we look forward to participating in this program while continuing to provide a high-quality Catholic education to families in the North Myrtle Beach area.

Karen Luzzo, North Myrtle Beach

Luzzo is the principal of Holy Trinity Catholic School in North Myrtle Beach.

On face masks

The overwhelming pressure to sport face coverings is no more than an opiate for the masses to feign compliance while government officials tinker around the edges in attempting to bring COVID-19 numbers down.

I would like to see an academic institution conduct a study on occupancy vs. the rise of COVID-19 cases; if such a study were done, I believe it would find a correlation between those two factors.

Open hotels? Higher COVID-19 numbers.

Closed hotels? Lower COVID-19 numbers.

It really is that simple.

Infectious disease study centers have emphatically stated that “distance, distance, distance” is the most important thing — not the mantra about face coverings that has gotten so much constant publicity.

What about an open bar where patrons are forced to carry on conversations while speaking over loud, obnoxious music? Face coverings are truly ineffective in a situation like this.

Or what about a group of people standing in a crowded hotel elevator?

These are the kinds of environments that make things worse because they go totally against the “distance, distance, distance” guidelines that experts say are the best strategies to fight COVID-19.

The fact is that no government at any level can truly enforce requirements for face coverings. It involves our basic constitutional rights, which is why so many governors are stating that such requirements are not enforceable.

Government can no more require people to wear face covering than it can legislate the tattoos, earrings or clothing options that are chosen by individuals.

Tom Russo, Myrtle Beach

On private schools

While recently appearing at a private Christian school in Greenville, Gov. Henry McMaster once again showed where his bread is buttered.

McMaster announced a grant program to divert public funds to help families send their kids to private schools — even when these families are making as much as $78,000 in annual income.

To do this McMaster sequestered about two-thirds of the millions that South Carolina received in federal discretionary funds to help schools reopen across the state this fall amid the pandemic.

In addition, McMaster gave the proponents of using public tax dollars for private school tuition — which so many conservatives in South Carolina have lobbied for under the guise of “school choice” and other code phrases — an opportunity to do a victory lap of sorts.

In my mind, “private school” means “private,” and if that’s where parents with means want to send their kids, no problem: there are plenty of excellent private schools in this state. I do not believe, however, that public monies should be diverted toward private schools.

Here are just some of the questions that McMaster should answer:

▪ Is his plan really the most efficient and effective way to help South Carolina’s parents — and their children — during this school year?

Only about 5,000 students would qualify, and some are already enrolled in private schools.

And it’s particularly disturbing that some of the schools that may receive these dollars are institutions that discriminate against students due to religious beliefs or sexual orientation — all while having to show little accountability to the state regarding their standards or requirements (academic or otherwise).

▪ How are parents supposed to appraise the safety measures of private vs. public schools when it comes to the various viral mitigation measures that must be in place to help ensure the safety of students and teachers?

▪ Couldn’t the $32 million that the governor is devoting to private schools have been better used to adequately protect more students across the state from the virus as schools reopen? Or to provide more support for students who may be relying on virtual learning?

Gov. McMaster needs to answer these questions!

Jim Palmer, Clemson

This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 4:28 PM.