Horry County parents can soon choose in-person or virtual classes for spring. What to know
Parents of Horry County Schools (HCS) students will again have the option to choose between virtual and in-person classes for the upcoming spring semester as the COVID-19 pandemic presses on.
Parents made their choice for this semester back in April, before the spread of the highly contagious delta variant complicated the pandemic, and they weren’t allowed to switch their instruction model after the hard deadline. Similarly, choices made for spring semester will be final, head of student services Velna Allen told HCS school board Monday.
For parents whose students are currently learning online, the option to switch to traditional brick-and-mortar instruction will be available from Nov. 10 through Nov. 19. After that, parents whose children are currently learning in-person can decide to change to virtual instruction during the time period of Nov. 29 through Dec. 8.
There’s a possibility the commitment window for parents wanting to switch from in-person to virtual learning will close earlier, as a state proviso only allows for 5% of a district’s student body to learn virtually. That means 2,223 spots in the virtual program are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, Allen said. The number of students who choose to move from virtual to in-person learning will determine the number of spots left in the virtual program.
The district started fall semester with around 1,600 students in the virtual program, and doesn’t anticipate reaching full capacity during the spring semester.
The district will advertise the timeline on its social media and website, notifying parents of an email that will come through the school’s system allowing them to switch instruction models if they choose.
Superintendent Rick Maxey reminded parents to think hard about the instruction model they choose, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the pandemic.
“Conditions in the county and the state are improving, but we have no idea what things will be like in January,” Maxey said.
Since the school year began August 17, more than 3,700 coronavirus cases have been reported in HCS students and staff, according to district data. The board elected not to vote to implement a mask requirement despite the pandemic’s persistence and a court ruling allowing districts to do so.
Spring semester begins January 18.
This story was originally published October 26, 2021 at 12:26 PM.
