CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Support is growing to end face mask requirements in South Carolina schools as some state lawmakers are calling the mandates an added stress on students, parents and teachers.
Rep. Stewart Jones posted on Facebook that he and several colleagues sent a letter to Superintendent Molly Spearman asking the mandate be lifted immediately.
"My colleagues and I sent a letter today to Superintendent Molly Spearman regarding lifting mask restrictions in South Carolina schools," Jones wrote. "We echo Gov. Henry McMaster, children should not be forced to wear a mask!"
The letter was signed by multiple lawmakers and sent to Spearman's office.
Last month, McMaster called school mask mandates "ridiculous" and urged schools to get rid of their policies.
“It is the height of ridiculosity for a school district to make that decision for the parents,” McMaster said. “Now that we’ve had so many people that have developed immunity, I think is ridiculous for a school district to be requiring children to wear the masks unless the parents of those children want them to wear masks.”
Under current state guidance, masks have to be worn when entering school buildings, on buses and in carpools, as well as when there's not enough room for social distancing. Every district in the Charlotte area is following make guidelines, but not everyone following the rules agrees with the mandate.
One parent told WCNC Charlotte that school is the only place her kids wear masks. Now, more parents are planning to speak at the Fort Mill school board meeting Tuesday to ask the district to drop its face mask mandate.
RELATED: 'Masks work': South Carolina's top health official says it's too early to drop mask mandates
Contact Rachel Lundberg at rlundberg@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.