Two Horry County middle schools moving to remote learning due to COVID staff absences
Two middle schools within Horry County Schools will hold all classes remotely next week ahead of winter break.
Staff and parents at Conway and North Myrtle Beach middle schools were notified of the changes Friday due to staffing shortages with too many teachers quarantined to safely provide face-to-face instruction, according to an email from HCS spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier.
Faculty and staff who are not quarantined at these schools will be report to their respective school buildings.
The schools have a combined 27 staff members in quarantine along with eight students and nine staff members who have recently tested positive for COVID-19, according to the district’s case dashboard.
Horry Schools have been operating on a hybrid schedule — with students split into two groups and each one attending class in-person twice per week — without interruption since the school year began in September. All other schools in the district will continue with the hybrid schedule next week, Bourcier added.
Coronavirus cases across South Carolina and within school districts have sharply increased in the weeks since Thanksgiving, and numerous other districts in the state have made similar announcements temporarily closing in-person classes, including neighboring Georgetown County School District.
Classes will only be held Monday and Tuesday next week with winter break beginning Wednesday.
A total of 282 staff in the district are quarantined as of Friday evening, per the dashboard, which shows 103 students and 62 staff who recently tested positive for the virus.
This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 7:23 PM.
