(GDN) — Masks will continue to be optional at Wayne County Public Schools. 

This week, the Wayne County Board of Education heard about the district’s latest COVID-19 trends from Ken Derksen, WCPS Executive Director of Community Engagement and Student & Family Support.

Derksen says between the November and December reports, 117 students and two staff members were able to avoid exclusion in accordance with current N.C. Department of Health and Human Services guidance.

Over the past month, 595 instructional days have been saved as students were consistently and appropriately masked.

Only seven cases of COVID were reported in WCPS athletics or extracurricular activities over the past month.

Derksen says there were 371 cases of close contact reported over the last month at WCPS.

As required monthly by the state, the Board of Education voted 5-2 to keep the current optional masking policy in place for another month.