Virtual or in-person classes? Here’s how Horry County Schools will reopen next week.
Horry County Schools students will return to in-person classes next week when the school year begins.
The district’s reopening plan depends on a weekly S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control report measuring COVID-19 activity in each county.
Monday’s report lists Horry County with medium spread, which means HCS will operate on a hybrid schedule, splitting students into two groups with each group attending in-person classes two days per week. Student schedules will be available online by 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The district finished the 2019-20 school year with virtual learning after all South Carolina public schools were ordered to close in mid-March to reduce the spread of coronavirus. HCS was initially set to reopen Aug. 17, but board members voted to delay opening until Sept. 8 to give staff more time to prepare.
That extra time also allowed Horry County’s COVID-19 case numbers to drop. Horry, along with every other county in the state, was listed with high activity in DHEC’s report in early August when the board finalized its reopening plan.
Board chairman Ken Richardson said he’s a little disappointed the numbers didn’t drop low enough to allow for full, in-person classes all week, but they chose this plan to prioritize student and staff safety. He added that he will be in the school for the first 30 days because he wouldn’t ask anyone to put themselves in a situation he wouldn’t be in himself.
The DHEC report analyzes the two most recent weeks of data in each county for three metrics: incidence rate, trend in incidence rate and percent positive rate.
Horry County’s incidence rate, which is based on new cases per 100,000 residents, is 120.3, which qualifies as medium, and that number has been dropping, which qualifies its trend as low. Its incidence rate would need to move below 50 to qualify as low or increase above 200 to be considered high, according to DHEC’s report.
The county’s percent positive, which is based on how many people that are tested for COVID-19 receive positive results, remains high at 15 percent, which has actually increased during the past few weeks. That metric will need to drop below 10 percent to be considered medium and 5 percent for low.
The district will continue monitoring DHEC’s report each Monday and adjust its schedule accordingly for the following week. Low activity means HCS could move to full, in-person classes five days per week, while high activity would move all instruction online.
Under all conditions, teachers and staff will be required to report daily to their classrooms and building assignments.
Parents and students also had the option to enroll in a full-time virtual school, which required at least a semester commitment, and more than 13,000 students, about 30 percent total, chose that option.
HCS spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier did not immediately respond to questions about how many teachers will be part of the virtual program.
Face coverings will be required for all students and staff inside public school buildings and buses, as ordered by S.C. Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman, though there will be some exceptions for students with medical issues, and students can remove them inside classrooms when properly spaced apart.
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 1:54 PM.
