Second Horry County School begins virtual learning as COVID-19 cases rise
Conway High School students will attend classes virtually for two weeks starting Wednesday, Horry County Schools announced.
Two weeks after classes started, the school is the second in the district to switch instruction mode. Aynor Middle School announced last week its students would attend classes virtually for two weeks.
Conway High School has 31 active student cases, 413 students in quarantine, two active staff cases and six staff members in quarantine, the district’s COVID-19 dashboard says.
Classes are set to resume in person September 15, according to the district’s announcement sent to parents.
“Our review of the district’s most current COVID-19 data indicates that Conway High School’s ability to serve students has been negatively impacted both by the number of positive COVID-19 cases, as well as the number of staff and student quarantines,” the announcement read.
Conway High School students who aren’t in quarantine and attend an HCS program school or Horry Georgetown Technical College will continue classes as usual, the district said. Staff members who aren’t in quarantine will attend the school building.
School buildings will be deep-cleaned while students participate in distance learning. All sports practices, club meetings and other after school activities are canceled for the next two weeks.
Across the district, 6,800 students are in quarantine and 628 students have an active case of the virus, according to district data.
The district monitors cases and quarantines at each school on a daily basis and decides on a case-by-case basis if virtual school is the best option, HCS spokesperson Lisa Bourcier said.
HCS attempted to operate full time in-person without requiring masks for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic nearly a year and a half ago. Many of the district’s COVID-19 protocols that were in place last year aren’t in place this year, even as COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations are among the worst they’ve been at any point in the pandemic.
Parents can call Conway High School cafeteria at (843) 488-0692 Wednesday before 10 a.m. to request meals for their students to last the rest of the week.
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 12:26 PM.
