More parents looking at Catholic schools due to uncertainty surrounding upcoming school year

The Principal of Saint Peter's Catholic School says more parents have contacted her about enrolling their children

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) —Several parents are stuck trying to decide what is best for their children with all the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming school year.

Some are looking at alternative education pathways for their students to limit any risk associated with COVID-19.

Prior to Governor Henry McMaster (R-SC)’s request to have schools offer in-person instruction this fall, several school districts, including Sumter, Colleton County, and Jasper County, already planned to start the school year with distance learning, then transition to in-person instruction depending on community spread of COVID-19.

At a press conference Wednesday, the Governor and several Republican lawmakers pushed for school districts to give parents the option of sending their children into schools or to have virtual instruction.

“What we need to do is to take every step at our disposal to see to it that our children get back in their classrooms, where they all want to be, where the teachers want them to be, where the district personnel want them to be, and all of us want them to be,” the Governor said.

Still, some districts have concerns about balancing all these students and social distancing.

A spokesman for Greenville County Schools, the largest district in the state, said it would be impossible to social distance, follow a normal schedule, and adhere to DHEC guidelines if all their students were physically in their schools.

To find some slice of normalcy, some parents are looking at other schools, like Saint Peter’s Catholic School in Columbia, as safer alternatives to put their students.

“Being an already historically small school, we can limit our classroom sizes to approximately 15 students per class, which would allow students to have 36 sq. ft of space between each other and their teachers,” said Aubrey Wall, the Principal of Saint Peter’s Catholic School.

Wall says more parents have contacted her about the school in the last few months.

“We’re able to provide certainty and a sense of normalcy for our students. We know we’re coming back 5 days a week, we know we’re able to do so safely, we do have a virtual learning option for families who might still be on the edge, and we’re willing to be flexible, and work with our families so that our students don’t lose any more academic gains,” Wall said.