Horry Schools can reopen in-person, new COVID-19 data shows, but that could change
Coronavirus activity in Horry County has dropped to levels that would allow it to reopen with some in-person classes, according to the latest state health department data.
That data, updated weekly, could still change between now and Aug. 31, when Horry County Schools will be able to definitively determine how it will reopen.
The HCS board chose a reopening plan, approved by the S.C. Department of Education, that uses state health metrics to determine when and how frequently students are allowed inside school buildings once classes begin Sept. 8.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control releases a report every Monday examining disease activity in each county based on COVID-19 cases by population, trends and percent positive for a two-week period.
After several weeks of every county rating as high for disease activity, which would require all instruction be held remotely under the district’s plan, Horry County is one of seven counties now listed as medium spread in DHEC’s latest report.
Counties with medium activity will have hybrid schedules with students split into two groups, and each group going to school two days per week with distance learning the other three days. Counties with low activity can return to full, face-to-face instruction, according to DHEC’s guidance
The county’s incidence rate, which measures cases per 100,000 residents, has dropped significantly during the past few weeks from 383.6 two weeks ago to 271.7 last week and 190.9 this week. DHEC quantifies medium spread as 51-200 new cases per 100,000 residents during the most recent two-week period.
The incidence rate dropping means Horry County rates as low for the trend category, while it continues to rate as high in percentage of people testing positive at 13.4 percent. It will need to drop below 10 percent to be considered medium in that category, DHEC’s report shows.
HCS is set to return Sept. 8 based on DHEC’s Aug. 31 report, so it’s possible Horry County could move back toward a high rating or continue to decrease further toward a low rating.
Superintendent Rick Maxey said he’s pleased by the downward trend and hopes it will continue, but they’ll remain flexible to prepare for any possible changes in the data.
Board chairman Ken Richardson noted that this downward trend is exactly why the board voted to delay the start of the school year, which was initially set to begin Monday.
“We were betting the numbers would drop some,” he said.
Maxey said district staff are currently working on splitting students into two groups for the hybrid schedule, but he doesn’t know when exactly parents will be notified, adding that it’s taking extra time because they’re trying to ensure children in the same family are grouped together.
All district teachers and staff are expected to report daily to the classrooms and buildings assignments regardless of disease activity, according to the district’s plan.
Parents had the option to enroll their students in the traditional brick-and-mortar option, which will allow students to return based on DHEC’s metrics, or a full-time virtual school, which requires at least a full semester commitment.
District staff reported during Monday’s board meeting that 13,377 students, or about 30 percent of the district’s total enrollment, have chosen the full-time virtual option. Boone Myrick, the district’s chief academic officer, noted they’ve received applications from about 360 qualified teachers for the virtual school, but staff is still finalizing how many instructors will be needed.
Mary Anderson, chief human resources officer, told the board that the district currently has 40 staff vacancies, which is typical for any given year, and the number of summer resignations has also remained steady, with 164 during June-Aug. 2019 compared to 169 so far this year.
Anderson added that the district has reached out to potential substitute teachers, and nearly 900 have responded that they plan to return.
This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 4:20 PM.
