Greenville Co. School board to receive legal advice following mask mandate ban injunction

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA)–With 80,000 students in the Greenville County School District, the school board is taking a closer look at the ruling on the mask mandate. But, board members say it might not mean anything quite yet.

Amanda McDougald Scott says she was in tears when the federal ruling came down Tuesday night.

“The relief and the weight of this whole thing has just been so heavy,” she said.

She’s one of the plaintiffs on the lawsuit against the ban on mask mandates in schools in South Carolina.

“I don’t want my son to die I certainly don’t want any other parents to have to go through something that’s preventable and unnecessary,” McDougald Scott said.

She lives in Greenville County and her son is at risk.

“How could you possibly say this is reasonable access to public education when children have to choose and parents have to choose between children’s health and safety and potentially life and their education,” she said.

And although this is a win for those bringing the lawsuit, the process is far from over. The Governor vows to fight the lawsuit to the Supreme Court if necessary, and the Greenville County School district is waiting on advice from legal council.

“The bottom line is it basically said they had done an injunction which made the proviso null and void,” school board chair Roger Meek said.

He says the first step is having legal break down the injunction for board members in a special called meeting on Thursday. He’s not planning to rush the process in order to come to the best conclusion for everyone.

“See what guidance the states superintendent will give us from the Department ofEeducation and what we need to do differently if anything,” Meek said.

He also has questions on clarifying exactly what the injunction means for the district.

“Whether it goes just for the children in the lawsuit or if it applies to the district or who it does apply for,” he said.

McDougald Scott has one plea for the board.

“Please have the courage to do what is right and follow the covid precautions set out by the CDC,” she said.

That special called meeting happens on Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m. The school board will not be able to vote on any type of measure after the briefing. The purpose of that session is just to receive legal advice on the injunction.