Horry Schools elementary students will return to full in-person classes, district says
Horry County Schools has set a return date for elementary school students to return to daily in-person classes: Feb. 8.
Velna Allen, director of Student Services, filled in for Superintendent Rick Maxey, who recently tested positive for COVID-19 and announced the plan at Monday’s board meeting. Allen acknowledged the plan could change depending on the availability of staff. No dates have been set for a full return for middle or high school students, she added.
HCS has been operating on a hybrid schedule for most of the school year, with students allowed to attend in-person classes twice a week, aside from a two-week stint to begin 2021 when all classes were held remotely.
It has been nearly a year since the district’s students were last allowed to attend in-person classes five days per week after Gov. Henry McMaster ordered schools to close last March to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
McMaster has since advocated for students to return in person full-time, but districts have been given autonomy to choose their own attendance plans, and many schools in South Carolina have remained virtual or hybrid.
HCS officials have hinted at a return to full-time in-person classes since moving forward with the purchase of more than $5 million worth of plexiglass to install on students’ desks. The installation has been completed in elementary schools, though many parents have complained that they resemble jail cells and obscure some students’ sight lines.
School board chairman Ken Richardson said after the announcement that he understands coronavirus cases remain high and many people will be upset, but “it’s time to get back hope for the children.”
Students enrolled in HCS Virtual will continue learning remotely, though more than 80% of the district’s students are enrolled in the brick-and-mortar option.
More than 1,300 students and staff have tested positive for coronavirus since the beginning of the school year, according to the district’s case dashboard, which shows 132 current cases and 187 staff members in quarantine as of Monday evening.
This story was originally published January 25, 2021 at 6:49 PM.
