The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education voted 6-1 on Thursday to delay dropping its indoor mask mandate until April 4, when the district returns from spring break.
On April 4, CHCCS will move to mask recommended, but not required, in K-12 schools for indoors spaces, including buses. The sole dissenting vote was from board member George Griffin.
"I would like to just end (mask requirements) because the data suggests it's okay to end it," he said.
The board also voted unanimously to move mask recommended, but not required outdoors on March 7 — the same day Orange County will lift its mask mandate on indoor public spaces. The county announced this decision on Tuesday.
CHCCS Superintendent Nyah Hamlett said that in a survey of the district's employees, 65 percent of respondents said they wanted to keep the mask requirements. Additionally, around 34 percent of respondents said they would prefer a recommended, but not required approach to masking.
At the meeting, several board members expressed their desire to delay dropping the mask mandate.
Board member Ashton Powell said he wanted to give time for more staff and students to get vaccinated.
"Your best protection is the vaccine, and now's your chance to get it," he said.
Right now 97 percent of CHCCS staff are fully vaccinated, Hamlett said at the meeting. For the week of Feb. 21, the district reported 23 positive COVID-19 cases among students and staff in schools, according to its COVID-19 data tracker. This was down nine cases from the previous week's total of 32 positive cases.
