SC officials push schools to reopen, citing finding of minimal COVID transmission
Citing growing evidence that schools are not the COVID-19 breeding grounds they were once feared to be, state Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced Thursday that schools should no longer consider the severity of coronavirus infection in their communities when deciding to reopen full-time.
The announcement marks a reversal of the Education Department’s previous guidance that districts factor in the level of community spread when mulling whether to offer face-to-face, hybrid or remote learning options.
“Supporting studies have found schools to be safe when they’re following key mitigation strategies and they’re implemented consistently,” Spearman said, citing a study conducted by a Medical University of South Carolina pediatrician that found minimal COVID-19 transmission in Charleston County schools.
Over the summer, the agency’s AccelerateED Task Force released a lengthy report with recommendations for the 2020-21 school year that advised districts to strive for in-person instruction, but remain open to hybrid or fully virtual learning models in the event of medium-to-high COVID spread in their areas.
“In summer, we didn’t know how it was going to work. Now we know,” Spearman said Thursday at a joint press conference with Gov. Henry McMaster. “We know now you can operate schools safely even when there’s high spread in communities.”
As of Thursday, 646 schools, or just over half of all schools in the state, offer a full five-day, in-person instruction model. Most of the others offer some variety of hybrid instruction, although there are a small number of school districts in the state that remain fully remote.
While many students and their families are equipped to handle an entirely virtual learning environment, others have struggled to adapt and need desperately to return to face-to-face instruction as soon as possible, Spearman said.
Recent assessment data has confirmed officials’ fears that students, especially in lower grade levels, are experiencing significant academic loss, she said.
“South Carolina cannot afford to delay going back to school any longer,” Spearman said. “Face-to-face instruction is vital for families and communities, and action has to be taken.”
The state superintendent implored districts that haven’t done so already to submit plans for returning to five-day, in-person instruction, although she does not have the power to mandate that districts do so. The decision whether to return to traditional instruction lies with local school boards, absent legislation to change that, Education Department spokesman Ryan Brown said.
One such piece of legislation, introduced Wednesday by Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, aims to do just that.
Massey’s joint resolution requires all South Carolina school districts to offer five-day, in-person classroom instruction no later than two weeks after all employees have had the opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Under Massey’s plan, state health officials would immediately prioritize school employees for shots in the arm with the goal of fully vaccinating all receptive school employees within 30 days.
McMaster, who on Thursday called schools “not an at-risk environment,” opposes the plan, which he said would divert vaccines from those most vulnerable and throw a wrench into the state’s vaccine distribution plans.
Spearman, on the other hand, strongly supports the proposal and has asked the governor to prioritize the vaccination of teachers and school staff.
“I do support teachers being vaccinated,” she said Thursday. “I think our schools are unique and probably as close to the health care industry on the impact that they have on our society.”
A recent survey of school employees across the state found that about 71,000, or about 58% of teachers and staff would take a vaccine, if offered one.
This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 4:24 PM with the headline "SC officials push schools to reopen, citing finding of minimal COVID transmission."