NEWBERRY, S.C. — People in Newberry County are getting ready for another school year while navigating through the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year, school districts had to create plans to continue to educate students in a safe way during the pandemic.
The School District of Newberry County is getting ready to start school next week.
Some parents like Kristi Free are unsure how to feel about sending their kids to school.
“At first, I thought things were going to be a little better, but now it looks like things are getting kind of crazy again,” Free said.
According to the latest data, the percent positive rate in Newberry County is around 17 percent. About 39 percent of people in the county have been vaccinated.
With the recent rises in coronavirus cases and with other variants out there, some parents are debating whether or not to wear a mask at school.
“I was going to stop my kids from wearing the mask at the end of last school year, but now I think I’m going to make them wear them this year just to be safe,” explained Free.
Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster says he’ll have eight SROs at schools when they start next week.
“We’ve got to get the kids educated, but we also have to be careful. I mean it is such a fine line,” said Sherriff Foster. “I’m talking about a razor thin line that you have to go by.”
He says they’ll be following the School District of Newberry County’s rules.
“Half of our SROs have been fully vaccinated, and the rest are in the process,” explained Sheriff Foster. “It’s not mandatory, it is a choice.”
The sheriff says they are advising their school resource officers to wear a mask if they feel like they need to.
Sheriff Foster, who had COVID-19 and almost died from it, wants people to take it seriously and do what they can to protect others in the community.
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“To the parents and the kids as they enter school, I think they need to understand to talk at home as a family and decide what you want to do and what precautions you want to take,” said Sheriff Foster.
Free hopes people will respect other parents’ choices when it comes to how they want to protect their children during the pandemic.
“Just that people would start coming together a little more and respecting each other’s wishes,” said Free. “If you want to wear a mask, wear a mask. If you don’t, don’t, kind of care about each other’s feelings. Care about your neighbor.”