It’s back-to-school week in the Charleston area.A few months ago, many were hoping this week would go a little differently than it is now. People were hopeful that the return to school would also be a kind of return to normalcy, that COVID cases would be on the decline and the risks for health risks for students would be low.But instead, the leadup to the school year has been stressful cases surge in South Carolina, driven by the aggressive delta variant. Studies from the CDC have shown that having staff and students wear face masks in school is effective, even when there’s a lot of spread in the community, and local pediatricians across the state have been encouraging masking in schools. But South Carolina school districts are being barred from passing mask mandates.South Carolina lawmakers passed a budget proviso that says schools can’t use public funds to mandate masks.This week, Charleston County School District and decided to require masks for all students anyway.Charleston education reporter Libby Stanford breaks down that decision, explains other precautions schools are — and aren’t — taking and how schools plan to handle COVID-19 cases among their students and staff. of Stanford's coverage here. For more coverage as South Carolina goes back to school, check out our reporting from Columbia, Greenville and Myrtle Beach:Columbia: Richland County will require masks in many schools, following similar order in ColumbiaGreenville: Greenville schools return without mask requirement as some SC districts test state lawMyrtle Beach: Horry County schools report 100-plus COVID-19 cases just 2 days after the start of school

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