GOP, Democrat duo joins forces to urge SC leaders to fight COVID in schools together

As of Sunday, Sept. 12, there were 6,849 cases of COVID-19 among school students in South Carolina and 592 cases among school employees. Since the beginning of the school year, we’ve lost five employees to this terrible virus. In addition, dozens of schools have been forced to revert to virtual learning, a situation that everyone agrees is detrimental to our children’s education and general well-being.

It is deeply unfortunate that mitigation efforts against COVID-19 have become political. Doing what is necessary to save lives and protect public health should not be a partisan effort.

In June, the South Carolina House of Representatives and Senate passed a proviso that prohibits local governments and school districts from implementing basic protections against COVID-19 in schools. At the time, it looked like the pandemic was winding down and would soon be in the rearview mirror. The situation has since changed with the threat of new variants and a rise in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Now, school districts are unable to implement measures to protect the health of their students and staff without the risk of a lawsuit. We need to repeal this proviso immediately and allow local governments to make these decisions on their own based on the rate of spread and the pandemic’s impact on their communities.

The crisis will only continue to worsen until we do so. More employees will die, more schools will revert to virtual learning, and students, parents, and educators alike will suffer.

We know that the pandemic has been difficult for our students. We have seen an increase in mental health crises and distress stemming from the uncertainty surrounding this disease, unclear policies, and the isolation of virtual learning. We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past.

We know that repealing this proviso is not politically expedient and we know that it will require incredible effort to get the votes necessary to remove it from the books. But this moment calls for urgency, not partisanship.

Opposition to this proviso is multifaceted. It includes the entire House Democratic Caucus, Senate Democratic Caucus, and the Legislative Black Caucus. It also includes multiple Republican senators. Outside of the General Assembly, opposition includes the SC School Board Association, SC for Ed, and 1,000 physicians from across the state who sent a petition to Gov. McMaster last month.

Local governments should be able to implement measures to protect public health at their discretion. It is inappropriate for the state government to create roadblocks and micromanage the decisions being made by school boards and town councils. The rate of spread of COVID-19 varies by county. A one-size-fits-all approach is not sensible and it reeks of politics.

We need to go back into session immediately to repeal this proviso and remove the handicap preventing school districts from slowing the spread of COVID-19. The last thing our state leadership should be doing in the midst of this public health crisis is filing lawsuits against municipalities for doing what is necessary to protect their communities.

We hope that Speaker Lucas, President Peeler, and Governor McMaster listen to the concerns of many across our state and recognize the urgency this crisis demands by calling us back for an emergency session to repeal Proviso 1.108.

This story was originally published September 16, 2021 at 1:15 PM with the headline "GOP, Democrat duo joins forces to urge SC leaders to fight COVID in schools together."