Educators finalize recommendations to reopen South Carolina schools this fall

Social distancing in buses, hallways, and classroom is one of the major focuses

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) —Schools in South Carolina are inching closer to reopening their doors this fall.

The “accelerate ED” task force formally approved the guidance and recommendations needed to safely welcome students back to school.

For many students across South Carolina, March 16 was their last day physically in school.

As the potential first day of school is coming closer and closer, teachers are itching to get back in front of their students.

“I’m ready to get back. I’m ready to work with students, I’m ready for my kids to be back with their friends and incredible teachers,” said Patrick Kelly, a teacher at Blythewood High School.

But a school day in the era of COVID-19 won’t be so normal. 

The “accelerate ED” task force recommends spacing out students in classrooms, teachers and students wearing masks, only allowing 50% occupancy on school buses, and staggered arrival and dismissal times.

Some other recommendations include deactivated water fountains, one-way traffic flow in the hallways, longer school days, having one nurse for every 750 students, and a later start to the school year.

Another recommendation from the task force gives school districts three options for scheduling. 

One has all the students back in the building in a traditional setting, one is a hybrid model where some stay home and some come in, and one is a complete distance learning approach.

Dr. Scott Turner, the Deputy Superintendent of Greenville County Schools and the head of the Operations subcommittee, said he’s received plenty of emails from people, some in favor of coming back to a full traditional model, while others saying keeping the schools closed would be more efficient during a pandemic.

“Districts can not afford to fund dual systems in an effort to appease all scenarios. We don’t have the staff or the employees to do that,” Dr. Turner said while reading one of his observations to the task force.

When asked about whether all schools will have the capacity to have distance learning, Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said her team is working with districts to make sure they would have that capability. She said it might not be 100% of all schools, but said it would be more than there were in March.

Now that the recommendations are final, school districts now have the power to decide when it would be safe for students to come back.

Superintendent Spearman says the plan will work as long as South Carolinians take the virus seriously.

“If you want to go back to school, if you want to go to football games, if you want to cheer on your team, you need to be wearing a mask when you’re out in public. It is one of the few things that we know is effective, and folks are just not doing it like they should, and it’s going to cause us not to implement this plan,” Superintendent Spearman said.

Friday’s meeting occurred right before the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced 1,081 new cases of COVID-19 in South Carolina and 18 new deaths. They also noted that a growing number of cases are taking place in people between the ages of 11 and 30.

Even though the formal task force meetings are over for the time being, some are waiting to see if the General Assembly approves funding from the CARES Act to go towards the Department of Education and school districts across the state. These funds would cover a four-week summer reading program, five additional school days, and reimbursement for funds lost as a result of the pandemic.

The Senate returns to session June 22, while the House comes back June 23.