No masks, new rules: State of COVID-19 protocols headed into the new school year

For the first time, nearly every school-aged child is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine headed into a new school year. While they’ve gained that significant protection, other precautions to slow the spread of the virus in schools have gone away.

5 On Your Side reached out to every school district in our area, and none of the 13 who responded are requiring masks this school year, although 23% are offering proactive testing programs.

In the event of COVID-19 clusters, 77% of districts say they’ll look to their local health department for guidance. But some parents say they want more than that.

"This year we’re going back," Kira Kroboth said about two of her children returning to Wake County Public Schools classrooms after two years of virtual learning.

"They need to be in school," she told us. "I think schools are incredible places."

However, Kroboth is worried. She says her children are immunocompromised and need special accommodations.

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"And on any given day it’s not a big deal but it does long-term impact their health," she explained. "On any given day my family has to navigate health issues, dietary things around it, disabilities, special needs and it’s hard!"

Wake County Public Schools looks to the local health department for guidance in respond to clusters. They say they’re using high filtration filters in their HVAC systems and they’re looking for opportunities to let students eat meals spaced apart and outdoors.

But Kroboth pushed for more in a letter to the school district, asking for specific details about how they’ll respond to COVID-19 emergencies, requesting air filters in classrooms, requiring outdoor meals weather permitting and more.

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"Obviously the goal is let’s all be in person, let’s not all have to wear masks right? And let’s do these layers of mitigation that help keep these kids safer," she said.

"I’m a parent too, I have students in the (Durham) school system, so I certainly understand the concerns and sometimes the frustration that parents may have," said Delois Prince.

Prince is a parent and Durham Public Schools COVID-19 Response Manager. Whether it’s testing, investigating cases and or sure proper procedures are followed, it all falls on her.

"My number one goal is to mitigate COVID-19 in the district," she told 5 On Your Side.

Prince expects classrooms this year to look more like they did before COVID-19 and feels good about the protocols the district has in place.

"I think this year will be better than last year, and we’ll progressively get better as we learn how to deal with the challenges that have come as a result of the pandemic," Prince explained.

Tricia Howard is the lead nurse for Durham Public Schools and plays a key roll in helping deal with those challenges, especially when it comes to at-risk students.

"Most importantly, our kids with chronic illnesses who are wanting to come back to school and feel safe and the management and the training that’s required to have everyone involved know exactly what to do for that child and how to respond to emergencies. That’s the critical component of our job," Howard explained.

WRAL News asked Howard if parents should feel safe about sending their kids back into the classroom this year.\

"Absolutely," she responded.

The state also stopped publicly reporting school clusters in the spring of 2022, and officials said they don’t have any plans to bring that back. School principals are still required to report suspected cases to their local health director.