Horry Schools are closed due to coronavirus. Here’s the district’s two-week plan
Horry County Schools will be closed for more than two weeks due to coronavirus, but that doesn’t mean academic learning will cease.
Just hours after the governor announced a two-week closure of all public schools in South Carolina, the district’s school board met Sunday night to discuss the plan for its approximately 6,000 employees and 45,626 students.
Gov. Henry McMaster ordered schools to close and cancel all school activities March 16-31 in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, which has been labeled a global pandemic by the World Health Organization.
State department of education officials asked school districts last week to submit a 10-day instructional to assist students during a potential closure.
HCS submitted its plan Friday and received approval Sunday afternoon from the department, according to the district. The instructional plan includes options for students to access assignments online or offline; methods for communication between students, teachers and parents; and further support for teachers and students.
All students in grades 3-12 will have the option to take a Personalized Digital Learning device home (laptop for high school students, Chromebook for middle school and iPad for elementary). Child development and K-2 will be given paper packets, according to Boone Myrick, HCS chief officer of education.
A deployment plan for those devices will be posted on the district’s website with times posted for parents to pick up the devices at schools, according to Velna Allen, chief officer of student services. Allen noted that the district will offer an optional technology fee, which would insure the device if broken, for a reduced price of $12.
Parents do no have to get a device if they don’t want it, Allen said, noting that all district web-based learning programs could be accessed on any home device with internet.
Further information regarding this learning plan will be shared with parents by 6 p.m. Tuesday.
All district employees on 240- and 246-day contracts will continue reporting to work as normal, while some other staff members will be contacted by their supervisors regarding their work schedules.
Teachers will be asked to report Tuesday to prepare for delivery of alternate instruction during the extended closure, but will not report to their schools after that. All full-time employees and vendors will be paid as normal during the closure, according to John Gardner, chief financial officer.
HCS Superintendent Rick Maxey noted that district officials have been tirelessly working on its plan, but the situation evolved rapidly.
“We thought we’d have more time to prepare,” he said. “… We’re going to learn along the way.”
Maxey said there’s still lots of questions they can’t answer right now, including how this may impact graduation or spring break, which is currently scheduled for Apr. 13-17.
“A lot depends on what happens with this virus and how it impacts the public at large,” he said, adding that this closure could be extended beyond March.
HCS Nutrition Services will also be offering free breakfast and lunch for students Monday-Thursday for pickup at various schools, with an additional lunch provided on Thursday for Friday, according to Daryl Brown, chief officer of support services. Brown noted they also have permission to use Transportation staff to deliver food if needed.
Food pickup will be available at Homewood Elementary, Loris Elementary, Socastee Elementary, Myrtle Beach Middle, Myrtle Beach Elementary, Palmetto Bays Elementary, Whittemore Park Middle, Green Sea Floyd’s Elementary, North Myrtle Beach Middle, Aynor Elementary and Waccamaw Elementary.
State Education Superintendent Molly Spearman announced during the governor’s news conference that the department would request a federal waiver to suspend accountability testing for the year, and the board approved a resolution to support that request.
Health officials confirmed the first presumptive positive case of COVID-19 in Horry County Saturday night and made the announcement Sunday morning that the patient is in isolation at Grand Strand Medical Center.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Controls later announced two additional cases in the county, both of whom are elderly and were exposed to another confirmed case in another state. They are both in home isolation.
Horry County Schools previously 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 7:03 PM.
