All South Carolina schools, including Horry County, to close due to coronavirus: report
UPDATE: HCS Board President Ken Richardson has called an emergency board meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday to discuss the district’s plan in light of the two-week closure. The public meeting will be at the district office, 335 Four Mile Road in Conway.
Horry County Schools are set to close as coronavirus continues to spread in South Carolina.
Gov. Henry McMaster will announce the decision to close all South Carolina schools, including the district that covers Myrtle Beach, according to the Associated Press. Schools will close for two weeks and food centers will be set up to help students who depend on meals from schools, according to the Associated Press.
The decision comes on the same day Grand Strand Hospital officials confirmed a patient in the Myrtle Beach area tested positive for COVID-19.
Horry County Schools officials previously said it was up to the state to decide whether to close. District spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier previously told The Sun News that HCS was working on an instruction plan to assist students in case of closure.
State department of education officials asked school districts last week to submit a 10-day instructional to assist students during a potential closure.
The form that districts were asked to fill out include questions ranging from “How will the district ensure that every student and parent/guardian has a clear understanding of the responsibility of students to complete assignments?” to “How will teachers and staff provide accommodations for English Language Learners?”
The Sun News submitted a Freedom of Information Act to Horry County Schools requesting its answers on this form in an expedited manner, but the district did not immediately respond. A similar request was made to the department, but spokesman Ryan Brown responded that staff members are still reviewing those plans, and he can’t ask them to take time away from that task.
The department noted that school districts approved for eLearning through the Education Oversight Committee can submit the same application that allows them to make up school days with electronic instruction. There are 15 school districts, including Georgetown County, approved for eLearning, but HCS isn’t on that list.
Horry County Schools already announced it canceled out-of-state field trips and no new athletics events would be scheduled. The district also created a webpage to keep its community updated on developments.
Numerous South Carolina colleges, including Coastal Carolina University, have already made changes to their schedules. Many sporting league and college athletics have also announced suspension of their seasons.
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 1:48 PM.
