Twin anti-mask protests held at Orange, Harnett school board meetings

A group of parents who call their initiative "the fight for a parent’s choice" plan on gathering at the Harnett County Board of Education Meeting before the public comment period at 6 p.m. A handful of parents were already protesting the school board around 5 p.m., waving signs and American flags.

Last minute, the board of education extended the public comment period to one hour and added mask mandates on their agenda.

The organization Re-Open Orange County Schools is planning to protest the district's mask mandate around 6 p.m. at Gravely Middle School while the school board holds its business meeting.

Once the high-risk sports are allowed to resume, all student-athletes would be required to be vaccinated in order to participate.

These parent groups hope to pressure leadership to drop the district's mask mandate and coronavirus restrictions, claiming that these districts are overstepping their authority and a parent "should make the choice."

Harnett County Schools originally decided masks were optional for the year but reversed their decision prior to school starting as cases spiked, largely due to the Delta variant.

The county has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state — only a little more than 30% of people are fully vaccinated in Harnett.

Coronavirus cases associated with kindergarten through twelfth grade schools is at its highest level since the pandemic began, state released by the state on Monday shows.

Children under 17 account fo 30% of North Carolina's case count last week.

Doctors said the cases can get serious, even in kids who were previously healthy.

"We have had to put children on ventilators. Many of the children are on oxygen," said Dr. Stephanie Duggins Davis, the physician in chief at UNC Children's Hospital. "They are also on other types of respiratory support, and these are children who have previously been healthy. They do not necessarily have co-morbidities. Previously healthy children are coming in and getting very sick and being admitted to intensive care units across the state."

In Johnston County, where a similar reversal took place, a board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday night.

Parents of Johnston County public school students were sharply divided on the school board's decision to make students wear masks in the classroom. One group of parents are relieved that the school board decided to prioritize protecting children from the coronavirus. But another group of parents see this latest decision as a hindrance to students' education, because the chance of a child dying from COVID-19 is low.

At the July meeting of that body, more than 100 people protested mask mandates and there are reports that a large crowd is expected again. Two groups -- Citizen Advocates for Accountable Government (CAAG) and JCPS Parents for Freedom -- are organizing a march and protest.

Conservative Tennessee Congressional Candidate Robby Starbuck is planning to attend the rally, and posted on his Instagram account Monday that North Carolina Republican 11th District Congressman Madison Cawthorn would be joining him. As of Monday, Cawthorn's campaign has not confirmed that he would attend the rally.

Less than 50% of all Johnston County residents are vaccinated, state data shows. A total of 270 people have died from the virus in Johnston County, which is nearly 130 deaths per capita.