Here’s everything you need to know about Beaufort County schools’ fall reopening plan
Beaufort County School District, which already had announced it would move the start of the school year to Sept. 8 and provide both virtual and in-person instruction options to students, on Friday released its full plan for reopening in the fall.
The district said it may open the year with virtual-only instruction due to the county’s designation as “high-risk” for the spread of coronavirus. South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control rates each county according to risk. Both Beaufort and Jasper counties are designated high risk.
“I cannot in good conscience commit to a reopening plan that would knowingly put anyone in harm’s way,” superintendent Frank Rodriguez wrote in an Wednesday night email to parents. “If COVID-19 conditions continue to worsen, it’s entirely possible that we could start the year with all students learning virtually.”
If too many students register for in-person instruction at an individual school — particularly those in Bluffton that are plagued by chronic overcrowding — the school will transition its in-person plan to a hybrid one, with students attending school two days a week in two separate cohorts.
Parents can view the full plan on the district’s website. Here’s what you need to know about returning to school:
How parents are registering so far
As of Thursday night, the district had received approximately 6,000 registrations for the fall, around a quarter of the district’s student population. Around 60% of registrations were for in-person learning, and around 40% were for virtual learning.
Rodriguez asked that parents register their students “as soon as possible” to help make determinations on hybrid instruction. Individual schools could announce what they’re offering for in-person instruction at different times, based on the registration responses.
The district recommends that parents stick with their selected option for a semester “so your child can experience a consistent learning environment,” according to the plan. However, they can work with schools directly to change their student’s instructional delivery methods.
What about the new school calendar?
School board members voted unanimously on Wednesday night for the district to bring forth a new calendar for their approval with a Sept. 8 start date, in line with the recommendation of S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster.
The new start date has not been officially approved yet, and the school board could call a special meeting to do so once district staff have finished the calendar. Rodriguez said Wednesday that the revised calendar would likely add school days to the end of the year in June.
Virtual instruction
An early survey of parents showed that a slight majority preferred virtual instruction over in-person, and the district has released plans for virtual schedules.
District teachers will instruct virtual classes through the district’s new BCSD Virtual Home Learning Experience (BCSD-V).
“BCSD-V will be based on a flexible model allowing for synchronous and asynchronous classes,” the plan reads. “BCSD-V will provide fully virtual courses with online and live video instruction, tutoring, small group and independent learning opportunities.”
Students will be required to meet with their teacher at scheduled times, and may have scheduled class sessions or study groups in addition to self-scheduled independent study and small group instruction periods.
The district will offer core classes and extracurriculars such as “PE, health, world language, technology and performing arts” for kindergarten through 8th-grade students. High school students will have access to honors and AP-level courses, along with fine arts and career-technical education courses.
In-person classes
When in-person classes begin, everyone on campus will be required to wear a mask, and each school will share protocols for entering buildings — such as staggered start and dismissal times to maintain social distancing — with parents.
Classrooms will be socially distanced, and school buses will run at 50% capacity and be sanitized between routes. Students will eat breakfast and lunch in their classrooms.
The district will not test students for coronavirus or conduct temperature checks.
Elementary school students will be grouped into “family units” that will remain in one classroom all day, with elective and special education teachers visiting that classroom to provide instruction or services.
Students will be asked to disinfect their own desks at the end of each day, “if age appropriate & without asthma/allergies.” Teachers and students will sanitize high-touch surfaces, such as desks and light switches, every day.
Restrooms and common areas will be sanitized several times a day by custodial staff.
“Restroom breaks are scheduled by classroom teachers in small groups of 3 or fewer students,” according to the plan. “For students in grades 6-12, restrooms will be monitored during class changes to ensure there are no more students than stalls in the restroom at a given time.”
Students will be dismissed in waves, and staff will monitor waiting areas for social distancing.
Wearing masks
All students and staff must wear masks at all times, at schools and on buses. According to the plan, masks will be considered part of the school uniform, and “continual refusal to wear a cloth face covering properly may result in school action.”
Monitoring coronavirus spread
Rodriguez said the district will follow DHEC guidelines to manage suspected and confirmed cases of coronavirus, which are outlined on the agency’s website.
If a student or staff member exhibits coronavirus symptoms during the school day, they will be isolated in a room on campus before leaving the building. Nurses will have separate stations for non-COVID related visits and COVID-related visits.
They will be directed to not return to school until they have either tested negative for coronavirus or fulfilled the following criteria:
Anyone who tests positive for coronavirus or exhibits symptoms and does not get tested will be isolated until 10 days have passed since their symptoms began, their fever has been gone for 72 hours and their symptoms have improved;
Others in close contact (within six feet for 15 minutes or more) to a contagious coronavirus case must isolate for 14 days;
Students and teachers in classrooms with a known coronavirus case should be screened for symptoms daily for 14 days.
Those who test positive by a PCR test but do not have symptoms will be required to stay out of school until ten (10) days after the specimen was collected.
When a school learns of a confirmed coronavirus case:
- District administrators and DHEC will be notified;
- The District will implement enhanced safety protocols and health procedures to disinfect the individual’s classroom;
- School administration will send a letter to parents of children in the individual’s classroom.
The district will close a classroom if 20% or more of the student population test positive for COVID-19 within a two-week period, and will close a school if 10% or more of the total student enrollment test positive for COVID-19 within a two-week period.
What happens in hybrid instruction?
In hybrid instruction, a school’s in-person students will be split into two groups. One group will attend school on Monday and Tuesday, while the other will attend on Thursday and Friday. Wednesdays will be reserved for cleaning the campus and teacher office hours.
Teacher concerns
According to district human resources director Alice Walton, teachers can ask to opt out of in-person instruction through special accommodations. As of Thursday, 60 of the district’s approximately 1,700 teachers have done so.
“Teachers are requesting us to look at an application for accommodations, and we are doing all our due diligence to inform them if they qualify or not,” Walton said. “If they qualify for special accommodations, we must do what we have to do to accommodate them so that they can do the essential functions of their job.”
Duke Bradley, the district’s new deputy superintendent, said Friday that about 46% of the district’s teachers are either considered high-risk for contracting coronavirus or provide care for someone who is high-risk.
Several teachers asked for online-only classes during the school board’s Wednesday public comment session, citing health concerns and the growing number of coronavirus cases in the county.
Two teachers said they were afraid for the health of their one-year-old children, while another said she had quarantined twice since March due to her husband’s job, and that she and her children’s classrooms would have all had to do the same if they were in schools.
“I think teachers are scared,” Bluffton High School teacher Lisa Sumner said. “And they may not be saying it, because teachers are so used to putting their own needs at the back of the burner. But I can tell you right now that I am hearing from a lot of teachers that are scared.”
Sports and practices
Students who opt for the virtual learning model will be allowed to participate in sports programs.
After a Wednesday vote by the S.C. High School League Executive Committee, the start of S.C. high school sports practices was delayed from July 30 to Aug. 17, with football games starting four weeks later in September.
SCHSL commissioner Jerome Singleton said all fall sports teams get two scrimmages and a jamboree. The plan calls for seven-regular season football games starting Sept. 11.
Custodial staff will spray down locker rooms weekly, and athletes and staff will spray down surfaces with disinfectant after each use.
This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 12:15 PM.