SC for ED questions Sen. Hembree’s data claims
Columbia, S.C. (WOLO)– One of the lawmakers who spoke during Governor Henry McMaster’s Wednesday news conference on education was Horry Co. Republican Sen. Greg Hembree.
Thursday the teaching advocacy group SCforED took exception to claims Sen. Hembree made during the news conference regarding students proficiency in English and math as a result of virtual learning during the pandemic.
His exact quote was, “The data is telling us that in mathematics on average, students have lost, not just that semester, but a complete year, and that in English, students have lost a complete semester.”
In a statement posted on Twitter, SCforED says when Hembree was asked to site the source for his data, he provided an Education Oversight Committee report dated April 27th which forecasted potential results of students moving to virtual learning because of the pandemic.
SCforED writes, “All public officials should be transparent and honest in their communications to the public. As education chair, and a member of the Education Oversight Committee, during an unprecedented-in-our-lifetimes-pandemic-event that even presenters at the press conference compared to the 1918-19 Spanish flu, Sentor Hembree should be ashamed for –at best–being careless with his statements and –at worst–deliberately misleading the public in a time of worldwide crisis.
ABC Columbia reached out to Senator Hembree for a response.
We have yet to receive a reply
We have serious concerns about the claims made by @GregHembree at yesterday’s press conference with @henrymcmaster. It’s incumbent upon our elected officials to act with integrity and honesty at all times. pic.twitter.com/ou2ZEdake4
— SCforED (@SCforEd) July 16, 2020
