Beaufort County public schools to remain open for now amid COVID-19 worries
Despite ongoing concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, Beaufort County School District announced Friday that all public schools in the county will remain open per the recommendation of South Carolina Department of Education Superintendent Molly Spearman, who said in a news conference Friday evening there is “no need” to close schools statewide because “children need to be at school.”
District spokesman Jim Foster said Friday evening, “We will continue to operate on normal schedules until we get recommendations to the contrary from the health experts at DHEC or the Department of Education.”
He emphasized the situation could “change at virtually any time,” though.
“This is a 24/7 monitoring program, literally from hour to hour,” Foster said. “We will continue updating our website throughout the weekend.”
Spearman said the Department of Education has asked all school districts in the state to send “virtual learning” plans for at least two weeks of online classwork.
Foster said the Beaufort County School District is finalizing its e-learning plan and is making preparations for online learning in the event that schools do close in the near future.
The district, he said, has been working with food service contractors on a plan to feed students at different locations throughout the county.
“More than half our 22,000 students count on those meals,” Foster said.
The district is also working to ensure all students have internet access or, in lieu of internet access, paper copies of assignments and lessons.
‘Social distancing’
Earlier Friday, Gov. Henry McMaster ordered a state of emergency and the closures of Kershaw County and Lancaster County school districts, the only two counties in the state where there has been evidence of the virus spreading through person-to-person transmission.
There are now 13 positive cases of coronavirus in South Carolina, according to DHEC at a public briefing Friday evening. No cases have been reported in Beaufort County.
To slow the spread of the disease, SCDHEC and the Centers for Disease Control are recommending “social distancing,” a reduction in close, one-on-one contact among individuals.
It is not clear how open schools will be able to maintain “social distancing” among students.
McMaster said at the news conference that Spearman will continue to work with local school districts across the state about potential closures.
“I know that they, like everyone, are under a tremendous amount of pressure in making their decisions,” McMaster said of the school districts that will remain open.
Over the past two days the governor has been criticized for not closing schools across the state in an effort to help slow the spread of the virus.
Twitter users commented to McMaster on Thursday and Friday that other governors had shut schools statewide.
“Close our schools Now please!!!” one tweet read.
“New York state COVID-19 update leads the way in pandemic response. Our state leadership needs to follow,” said another.
“Close the schools and ban large events!”
Facebook users likewise took the Beaufort County School District to task about not closing Friday.
“Why are the schools still open?” one person asked. “Being open puts everyone in the schools at risk, the students and their teachers. Schools around the country are closing, why not us?”
According to news reports, five states have shut down their schools completely, as have a number of cities.
Beaufort County School District response
On Wednesday, the school district announced that an employee at Beaufort High School had been exhibiting symptoms and was self-quarantining while awaiting test results. Those results came back negative Thursday.
In response to the COVID-19 virus, this week the district:
• Has been continuously wiping down hard surfaces and cleaning classrooms and hallways with hospital-grade disinfectant
• Has postponed all “non-essential out-of-district student trips for 30 days,” starting March 12
• Has temporarily suspended all student internships in health care-related facilities, affecting about 50 students
• Continues to post daily COVID-19 updates on its website at www.beaufortschools.net.
Private schools, colleges and universities
• Hilton Head Preparatory School: Closed for a minimum of two weeks beginning March 16.
• University of South Carolina Beaufort: Has canceled in-person classes and extended spring break through March 21. USCB personnel, however, will maintain regular schedules.
• Technical College of the Lowcountry: No plans to close at this time.
Hilton Head Christian Academy, St. Francis Catholic School, John Paul II High School, Thomas Heyward Academy, Beaufort Academy and Bridges Preparatory will continue on regular schedules for now.
This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 6:26 PM.
