We're beginning now with a new
school mass mandate from the
Richland County Council citing
growing concerns over the virus.
Those council members passed that mandate
just a short time ago, and tonight
we're taking a look at the top
three things you need to know
about their action first. This will
apply to all public and private schools
and daycares in the county whose purpose
is to educate children ages 2 to 14.
Second, the ordinance requires all faculty,
members, staff, visitors and children.
Older than two to where I'm face masks or
covering while inside buildings and 3rd
it will not apply to local high schools.
Now, Richland County's decision
coming 11 days after Columbia City
Council passed a similar mandate.
Richland County says their reasoning
because less than 45% of Allstate
residents are fully vaccinated.
The mandate goes against a state law.
However, that bans mass mandates in schools,
state Attorney General Alan Wilson
has said that school districts.
To follow the rule of law.
There being no further discussions,
our last clerk call the roll
for the motion to adopt the
ordinance before you. Malanowski
few yes McBride yes Livingston yes
to ratio yes Baron yes Overture
Walker yes Maggie yes English yes.
Newton yes motion passes.
Iteration they moved back
and it's moving proper.
Second for reconsideration working for us.
Mrs Only can you cover off of the
motion for reconsideration Malinowski.
PO McBride no Livingston, no
to ratio no Baron, no overture Walker Mackie.
No English no Newton. Mission fails.
Essence excited about our
agenda is adjournment removed
for German this popular 2nd.
Cover over the motion to adjourn. Malanowski
view yes McBride yes
Livingston yes Tracy Oh yes.
Baron yes Overture Walker yes Maggie
yes English yes name S mission passes.
So again, the Richland County Council
meeting a short time ago and they vote
to implement that school mask mandate
you heard the vote taking place and
just just in the last few moments,
the move also comes after the Executive
director of the South Carolina School
Board Association called for local
school boards and school districts
to make local decisions in order to
better protect students and staff.
Scott Price, saying the budget proviso,
impaired local boards and districts
at a time when parents are demanding
steps to be taken.
To keep students safe and House
Minority Leader Todd Rutherford
is asking for the same.
He wants lawmakers to come back
for a special session to overturn
the budget proviso.
I spoke with the Richland County
Democrat a short time ago.
I'm asking at this point that we come
back into a special emergency session
so that we can vote on mask mandates
again when we did so back in June,
we did so believing that we were coming
through COVID that South Carolina
is vaccination numbers were going
up and that cover was going down.
You talk about 137 COVID cases.
Now we're over 3000.
It's scary, and it certainly scared
for children that can't be vaccinated
because because they're under age of 12.
And if a lawmaker is going to
have blood on their hands,
they need to have that vote willingly
and knowingly, unlike the governor,
if we're going to push this issue,
we're going to do it,
knowing that we've taken a
vote on it and not just.
Saying things Willy nilly, one of
the odds of lawmakers actually coming
back and dealing with this, you know,
as children continue to die.
I saw in the news we had a 16 year
old up in Lancaster that died today
and Pickens County School is shut
down because at a COVID outbreak
Kershaw County is having an outbreak.
The governor talks about personal freedoms,
but right now you're having parents having
the freedom to bury their children.
Parents having the freedom to teach
their children at home because
schools are shut down.
That's not the freedom that
Democrats are talking about.
What we believe is that we should come
back in as lawmakers vote on this issue.
Talk about it.
And look at it in an empirical way,
not just Willy nilly through
the budget process.
And
what about cities and counties that may go
ahead and implement their own mass mandate
despite what's in that budget proviso,
I would encourage cities and counties to read
what we wrote, what we talked about.
That budget proviso is how we spend state
funds and how they spend state funds.
And if you are a school,
if you're a city or a county,
you can certainly have your own funds
to enforce your own mass mandate.
You don't have to use state funds to do it,
it would be well within the law and the
attorney general is talked about suing.
People, but he hadn't done so,
probably because he actually took
the time to read the proviso and
realize that he'd be wrong if he did.
Well, shortly after
Rutherford's comments today,
the Palmetto State Teachers Association
said that Governor McMaster should
declare a state of emergency in
order to suspend that budget proviso,
which bans those masks.
The group says if the governor and
lawmakers will not take immediate action
in local school districts should take
action to employ any and all mitigation
measures they believe are needed,
regardless of any potential financial costs.
And again, that's exactly what the
Richland County Council did tonight as
they have implemented that mask mandate
for all students and staff members.
For the new school year,
we'll have more on that decision
later tonight on news 19 at 11.