State OKs Beaufort Co. school plans for the year. Here’s what you need to know
Beaufort County Schools’ reopening plan received approval Thursday from S.C. Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman.
“We are committed to ensuring that the safety needs of every school is being met in preparation for reopening,” Spearman said in a news release this week. “Every citizen can help in this effort by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, washing their hands regularly, and staying at home when sick.”
The county’s plan is among 30 approved by Spearman because they met her four criteria for reopening: It provides a virtual option, an in-person option, a timeframe for determining when the district will be able to transition to full-time, face-to-face instruction, and outlines how it will provide all student services and meet state and federal requirements.
Spearman has not approved the plans of neighboring Jasper County, which announced an all-virtual reopening plan earlier this month. The S.C. Department of Education said Spearman will be reviewing the remaining plans in the coming days.
The Jasper County School District announced Thursday it would host a 5 p.m. news conference on Facebook Live to discuss the latest updates.
Jasper County School District public information officer Travis Washington said the district is not sure when Spearman’s office will review its plan or whether it will be approved. He said he didn’t expect any changes to the plan.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Washington said.
The approval process comes as parents are split about sending their students back to school in much of the state.
Active cases of the coronavirus have hit record highs in Beaufort County in recent weeks, and health experts expect the cooler months to make fighting the virus more difficult.
Beaufort County’s plan was approved on the condition that it begin face-to-face instruction before Sept. 14.
The Beaufort County Board of Education approved a school calendar Tuesday. Classes begin Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day, and end June 17, 2021.
Read about Beaufort County’s reopening plan here.
Read about Jasper County’s reopening plan here.
Young people and the coronavirus
While young people are generally less likely to be hospitalized for serious symptoms of the coronavirus, transmission and cases of the virus have hit that age group hard.
In June, 25.2% of new cases in Beaufort County — 225 of almost 900 total — were recorded among 21- to 30-year-olds, according to S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control data.
Kids and young adults aged 11 to 20, meanwhile, accounted for 200 cases last month, or 22.4% of confirmed infections in the county — the second-highest percentage.
“They perceive that they’re more safe,” Kathleen Cartmell, a public health professor at Clemson University, said of young people. “That’s why we’re seeing a lot more cases.”
In comparison to the first few months of the pandemic, COVID-19 cases in Beaufort County among 11- to 20-year-olds increased 292% in June.
Cases among 21- to 30-year-olds also shot up 171% compared to the total number of county cases recorded in that age range from the start of the pandemic to May 28.
This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 2:39 PM.
