Wake schools with COVID-19 clusters asked to track mask compliance

According to the district, experts said tracking compliance is one change that can help reduce the number of positive cases in a school.

WRAL News reached out to the district to find out how it will work, and as of Friday they said they are still working through the details.

Masks are already required at all Wake schools, and one parent said he thinks the new policy is putting too much on staff members that already have a full plate.

"If we keep adding to their plate ... asking them to be monitors of all this, on top of the lesson plans and day-to-day things they already have to do," said Brian Groesser. "You think we have a [teacher] shortage now, wait until they start implementing that."

The district is also considering a mask requirement outdoors and regular COVID-19 testing for all unvaccinated student-athletes and employees. The Board of Education will discuss the changes at its Sept. 7 meeting.

Nearly a dozen clusters have been reported this school year in the district. Holly Grove Elementary in Holly Springs is the latest school to report a cluster.

More than 140 cases were reported in the first two days in the distirct since traditional calendar students returned to classrooms.