Rowan-Salisbury Schools extends mask mandate again to end of October

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) — All but one member of the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education voted Monday to extend the mask mandate for the school district until Monday, October 25. They will reevaluate the mandate at that time.

The decision comes as COVID-19 rates remain high across the country, and an increase in the spread of the delta variant.

As of Monday morning, the district reported 42 active student cases and 4 current employee cases, which account for 0.23% and 0.16% respectively. Currently, 658 students are quarantined or isolated (3.60% of students) and 16 employees are quarantined or isolated (0.63% of employees).

In August, Rowan-Salisbury Schools voted to extend the mask mandate to the middle of October. At that time, more than 17% of the student population and nearly 6% of staff members were out on mandatory quarantine.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned to FOX 46 Charlotte for updates.