Horry County Schools closure extended through end of April due to coronavirus
Students, parents and teachers eagerly waiting for schools to reopen will need to wait at least another month as coronavirus continues to spread.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and the state’s Education Superintendent on Tuesday afternoon announced Horry County Schools, and all other public schools in the state, will remain closed until the end of April while efforts to contain COVID-19 cases continue.
The district has been closed since March 16 after the first positive case in the county was confirmed at Grand Strand Medical Center. There have since been nearly 20 other confirmed cases among almost 350 statewide, including a local death of an elderly individual with no underlying health conditions, according to DHEC.
McMaster will issue an executive order enforcing the extended closure in the coming days, according to a news release.
HCS has pivoted to an eLearning curriculum, offering personal digital learning devices to students in grades 3-12, and distributing daily assignments that will be due once students are allowed to return.
The district is also offering free meals to students for pickup at various locations or for delivery during specific times.
Nine HCS high school proms are scheduled in April, but no decisions have been made about canceling or postponing those or any graduation ceremonies at this time, according to district spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier.
The state Department of Education also announced Monday that its waiver for state accountability testing, including SC Ready, in spring 2020 was approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 3:03 PM.
