MONROE, N.C. — One week after more than 40,000 students started school with masks optional in Union County, the district says 1,873 students and staff are in quarantine. More than 170 positive cases are reported.
The Union County School District released the numbers Friday evening, reporting for the first week of school. Jennifer Carvajal said she'd been waiting on those numbers all week.
"It's concerning as a parent of an elementary school child who doesn't have an opportunity to be vaccinated," said Carvajal, who chose not to send her child back to school even though the district isn't offering a virtual academy.
"Her teacher has been kind enough to send some worksheets for her to do at home," Carvajal said.
The Union County School Board is expected to have a regular meeting on Sept. 7, and Carvajal hopes they will reconsider the mask mandate.
If they don't, Carvajal said she's considering homeschooling.
"It'll be huge," Carvajal, who works from home, said. "But at this point, we have to think of her safety."
The Union County School District has approximately 41,000 students. This week, about 4% are in quarantine.
The district said it’ll update its COVID-19 dashboard every Friday.
Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram.
Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || TuneIn || Google Podcasts
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.