Jasper County schools announces ‘tentative plan’ to reopen in fall. What you should know
Students will return to Jasper County schools in August, but their schedule will look different — and so could their school site.
Jasper County School District Superintendent Rechel Anderson announced a “tentative plan” Monday night to reopen schools in the fall with “hybrid” in-person and fully remote learning options.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control has designated Jasper County as “medium-risk” for the ongoing spread of coronavirus.
In an hour-long Facebook Live Monday night, Anderson said that if that status changes to high-risk, as it has in Beaufort County, the district “will consider remote/virtual learning for all students.”
Here’s what you need to know from Anderson’s presentation:
New school schedules, campuses
The school district will hold an “early return” period for kindergarten through 8th grade students from Aug. 10-14 to assess their academic progress. Classes will begin Aug. 17.
Rather than sending students across the county to the district’s sole middle and high schools, the district’s Ridgeland and Hardeeville school campuses will each become kindergarten through 12th grade hubs.
Elementary students will attend school Monday through Thursday on a morning/afternoon schedule, with half of students reporting to school from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and the other half from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
In their “off” time, students will be responsible for completing tasks online.
“There is no way possible that we can get every child in all day and social distance,” Anderson said Monday. “We do not have the space.”
Middle and high school students will attend school on an A/B day schedule, with half of students reporting to class Monday and Wednesday and the other half reporting Tuesday and Thursday.
Fridays will be designated as teacher workdays and office hours for all students.
Students will not return to school after Thanksgiving break. Instead, they’ll have remote instruction from Nov. 30-Dec. 18, and resume school Jan. 4. At that time, the district will reconsider reopening for the spring semester, which begins Jan. 19.
All 3rd through 12th grade students will be provided with a take-home electronic device to complete school work, and are responsible for bringing that device to school if they’re participating in the hybrid model.
Assignments will be submitted electronically, and will be “targeted and individualized” based on those “early return” diagnostics, Anderson said.
Transportation, childcare and safety
Classrooms will be socially distanced, and buses will run at half-capacity for in-person learning, according to Anderson.
Classes will have either a 10:1 or 12:1 student-teacher ratio, based on classroom size. Students will not use lockers, and restrooms will have limited capacity. Teachers will wipe down high-touch surfaces between classes, and custodians will disinfect those surfaces daily.
Students will be temperature-checked daily via scanners at school entrances, and given a dated sticker each day to confirm they have been checked.
Middle and high school students will be assigned a uniform color based on grade level to ease transitions in hallways and between classes.
Parents will not be allowed to accompany students to classrooms during the first week of school.
Both the Ridgeland and Hardeeville campuses will have pre- or after-school care available for elementary students on the morning/afternoon schedule via the Boys and Girls Club. Space in those programs will be limited to 50-60 students.
Buses will be limited to 36 students, and Anderson said that every parent who wants to utilize buses must take a forthcoming district survey for each of their children.
Sports warmups could begin in two weeks
Voluntary workouts for fall sports could begin as early as July 13, though Anderson said she is “not agreeing to any date” yet.
Students must get physicals to participate in the workouts, and can do so July 13 at the Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School gym, or on July 14 at the Hardeeville-Ridgeland Middle School gym.
All parents and students will be required to sign a permission release and hold-harmless agreement “vetted by legal counsel.”
Under “Phase I” of the South Carolina High School League’s plan, teams will be able to gather and work out in groups of 10 or fewer while socially distancing from each other.
Teams will not be allowed to use shared equipment, such as balls or weights, and cannot use sport-specific equipment for the first two weeks of practice.
Two Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School teams have a tentative “Phase I” practice schedule.
Volleyball workouts will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. July 14-30.
Varsity football practices will be held July 13 to 20 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with one group of players meeting from 8 to 9:30 a.m. and a second group meeting from 10 a.m. to noon.
Those with questions about the plan can email district spokesman Travis Washington at travis.washington@jcsd.net.
This story was originally published June 30, 2020 at 2:35 PM.