Horry Schools won’t offer rapid testing as it moves forward on plexiglass installation
Horry County Schools will not be accepting the state’s offer to provide rapid COVID-19 testing kits after considering the impact it would have on its nursing staff.
Superintendent Rick Maxey announced the decision during Monday’s board meeting, noting that he thought it sounded like a good idea when Gov. Henry McMaster first offered the option, but his mind was quickly changed after speaking with his staff.
The testing would require schools to designate a separate room for the tests to be administered, take nurses away from their health rooms and add additional training and reporting requirements. Those changes would create the need for more staff and could create a false sense of security, since the testing is reportedly only 80 percent accurate, Maxey said.
The district is, however, moving forward with the installation of plexiglass barriers on all students’ desks despite some parent objections.
Daryl Brown, HCS chief officer of support services, previously told the school board that construction on desks in elementary schools is expected to be completed by Dec. 23, before moving on to desks for middle and high schools.
The total cost of plexiglass for the district was $5.2 million, Brown said, though that purchase was fully paid for by the S.C. Department of Education and federal CARES Act funding.
Justin Yarbrough, the parent of an 8-year-old student in the district, asked the board during public comment to reconsider and search for a better solution due to the potential mental impact of sitting in what he called “a cage” for several hours per day.
The district first started exploring the plexiglass purchase after receiving guidance from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Controls that students could be within 3 feet of each other — which would be necessary to fit more students into classrooms — without being considered close contact for COVID-19 spread if appropriate plexiglass is used.
The board previously voted to approve changes to its reopening plan that permit the district to continue operating under a hybrid schedule indefinitely, until it’s safe to return to full, face-to-face instruction five days per week.
The district’s COVID-19 case dashboard shows 449 cases have been confirmed among students and staff since it began tracking them in early September, while 62 students and 29 staff members are listed as current cases, meaning they tested positive and remain away from school. It also identifies 129 staff members currently in quarantine.
The dashboard does not report students actively in quarantine, though HCS spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier confirmed Monday that “several” students at St. James Elementary were required to quarantine after a specialty-area teacher, who comes into contact with all grade levels, tested positive for the virus on Thursday.
Those students, and staff members, who were considered close contacts — meaning within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes — will be allowed to return to school Dec. 18, just days before winter break. The dashboard shows seven active student cases, two active staff cases and 11 staff in quarantine at St. James Elementary.
Note: If you’re a parent of a student at St. James Elementary who has been required to quarantine recently, please contact reporter David Weissman at dweissman@thesunnews.com.
This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 8:02 PM.
