Horry County Schools again updates quarantine guidance. How it works for your student
Horry County Schools (HCS) students who are exposed to COVID-19 can now continue to attend school under new district rules - with some caveats.
The updated quarantine rules allow students to stay in class after close contact with COVID-19 as long as they meet a number of criteria.
Among them are wearing a mask through day 10 after exposure; lacking symptoms of the coronavirus; and taking a COVID test between days five and seven after exposure and providing the results to the district before day eight.
The new rules take effect Wednesday, according to a release from district spokesperson Lisa Bourcier.
If a student shows symptoms at any point following exposure, they must immediately isolate and report the symptoms to the school. Students who refuse to wear a mask won’t be able to participate in the test-to-stay program, and must quarantine until day 10 following exposure, the release said.
The altered rules come as HCS has requested a number of at-home rapid tests for COVID-19 from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Once the district receives the tests from the state department, parents may pick them up at no cost.
The same type of test is also available for purchase at certain pharmacies, and the federal government provides four tests per household free of charge.
HCS has struggled to keep students in class this school year as the delta and omicron variants landed many of them in quarantine.
At one point this fall, more than a quarter of students were in quarantine, and the prevalence of the omicron variant led to more than 10% of students isolated at the beginning of 2022 despite loosened quarantine guidelines.
Parents have long voiced concerns at school board meetings and on social media, saying their kids are missing out on learning if they have to quarantine despite being healthy.
Quarantine obstacles have persisted this year as the district did away with many of last year’s COVID-19 protocols, such as a mask mandate and hybrid learning.
This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 9:35 AM.
