Horry Schools will begin 2021 all virtual, citing projected rise in COVID-19 cases
All Horry County Schools students will begin their second semester learning remotely, the district announced Monday.
HCS has been operating on a hybrid schedule for the entire first semester, with brick-and-mortar students attending in-person classes twice per week, but coronavirus cases started increasing after Thanksgiving break.
Projecting a similar rise in cases following winter break, which begins Wednesday, and because the district won’t be able to accurately track cases among students and staff during the layoff were the two reasons cited for this decision by HCS spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier in a news release.
The full-time distance learning model will be implemented Jan. 4-8 and Jan. 11-15, the release states.
Bourcier noted that all school facilities will be closed during these two weeks, and teachers will provide instruction to students virtually, as was the case during the final weeks of the 2019-20 school year, when COVID-19 spread forced the closure of all public schools in South Carolina.
Athletic events scheduled during the holiday break will continue as planned, though teams will continue to be monitored by the district’s health department, and a decision regarding athletic and extracurricular activities scheduled during the first two weeks of the new semester will be made and communicated near the end of winter break, the news release adds.
Numerous other South Carolina schools districts, including neighboring Georgetown County School District, have previously announced similar decisions, and Horry Schools already had to move two middle schools to all-distance learning due to an increase in staff quarantines.
As of Monday afternoon, the district is reporting 82 students and 69 staff members who recently tested positive for the virus, and 282 staff are quarantined, according to its case dashboard.
