Childcare, lessons, schedules: What to know about Beaufort County schools’ reopening

Beaufort County School District will begin the school year completely online on Sept. 8, superintendent Frank Rodriguez announced, and virtual school for students in kindergarten through eighth grades will operate on mostly the same schedule they had before the pandemic, officials said.

After Tuesday’s announcement of all-remote learning, Rodriguez and other district officials spoke to the public Wednesday morning to provide more detailed information on the plan.

Previously, the district announced it would offer both in-person and virtual class options for families — but according to Rodriguez, the district won’t return to school buildings until “we can reduce the COVID-19 infection rates and reopen schools.”

As of Wednesday, the county has reported 3,840 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 51 deaths, 27 of which occurred in July. On Friday, it reported its highest seven-day average of new cases since the pandemic began: 98 per day.

“We must focus on educating our children in the safest and most effective way possible,” Rodriguez said in a Tuesday press release. “Right now, that means providing a virtual education.”

“Employing a virtual model will remove the distractions of repeated quarantines and school closings due to COVID-19 cases. Strong virtual instruction can continue regardless of virus spread.”

Read on for more information on student schedules, grading policies, staff training and child care options.

What will school look like?

New deputy superintendent Duke Bradley III said that schools will be using two new virtual platforms this year: a Virtual SC franchise from the state for high schoolers, and K12 Learning Solutions for kindergarten through eighth graders.

The former will give high school students options to enroll in a variety of core classes needed for graduation requirements, which Bradley said will create a “much more dynamic” experience.

The district will provide a fuller briefing on virtual instruction for parents Friday, which will include more details on high school courses, Bradley said.

Kindergarten through eighth grade students will be “mirroring a normal school day as much as we possibly can,” though individual school leaders will have “a tremendous amount of discretion” in how to organize their days, Bradley said.

“Their teachers will be able to interface and interact with them in the moment, but there will also be times where they will be allowed to have learning time without the support of a teacher,” he said.

“We know that best practices don’t allow for young people to have eight hours of screen time, but there will be eight hours of learning that’s packed into their respective lesson plans.”

Schools will use their standard grading scales for the fall, Rodriguez said Wednesday.

A one-year contract for K12 Learning Solutions was approved by the school board in a Tuesday vote. The contract will not exceed $2.75 million, and will be funded by CARES Act dollars, per the board’s motion.

“Both platforms are considerably more comprehensive than what was hastily implemented last spring,” Bradley said. “Even more, our implementation of them will be better and more consistent across schools.”

What about CTE, choice programs, dual enrollment and extracurriculars?

Per Bradley, the district will offer sports under the guidance of the South Carolina High School League. The league’s executive committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to move the start of football practice three weeks back to Sept. 8, and the day that games can begin two weeks back to Sept. 25, the State newspaper reported.

According to the league’s newest guidelines, fall sports that are canceled due to COVID-19 could potentially be moved to the spring.

“Ultimately, the discretion of parents and families to decide if they want their children to participate in athletics is a decision they should make within their respective households,” Bradley said.

Rodriguez said the district is working with schools and staff “to see the options we can provide in a safe manner” for other extracurricular activities, such as band and theater, adding that the district’s goal is to return to face-to-face instruction.

Chief instructional services officer Mary Stratos said Wednesday that the district will focus on “theory” for the beginning of the semester in hands-on CTE classes, such as welding. The district has also purchased simulation programs for such classes.

The district is working with the Mt. Pleasant-based Seacoast Center for Education to develop a virtual Montessori curriculum, Stratos said.

Many dual enrollment students will begin classes with Technical College of the Lowcountry on Aug. 24. Whale Branch Early College High School principal MonaLise Dickson said her school was preparing by distributing tablets to students early, and she has partnered with TCL to ensure that the classes her school offers are available virtually.

How the state could change this decision

Last week, the state approved the district’s previous hybrid reopening plan — with the caveat that its approval is contingent on the district offering students an in-person option no later than Sept. 14, 2020.

Classes begin Sept. 8 under the district’s revised calendar, which would leave the district with just four days of online-only instruction under the approval guidelines.

On Wednesday, Rodriguez said he has lobbied the state and continues to do so to remove that contingency, and that state superintendent Molly Spearman is “open to continued dialogue” around Beaufort County’s COVID-19 case numbers.

What about childcare?

Stratos said the district is conducting “biweekly meetings” with community partners regarding childcare, including the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, Love House Ministry and collections of local churches.

“We do not want to miss an opportunity of bringing in, but in the same regard we want to also ensure in collaboration we’re meeting the needs of kids as well as safety,” Stratos said.

What can teachers expect?

Bradley said that teachers will receive details on training, work sites and expectations for staff with children in “increased and more pointed communication” from the district, in the form of general briefings, video updates and constant emails from district administrators.

K-8 principals will receive training on the new K12 Learning Solutions program early next week, followed by instructional coaches, who will then train K-8 teachers when they return to school on Aug. 24, Stratos said. High school teachers will be trained on the Virtual SC franchise the following week.

“At this time,” all training will be conducted virtually, Stratos said, with the capability for support staff from K12 Learning Solutions to be “on the ground.”

What about other staff?

The district will shift some classified staff — those without teaching certifications, which includes bus drivers, maintenance workers school nurses and social workers — to other job responsibilities within the district during the building closures.

Some will continue the district’s free lunch delivery program, which will service free and reduced lunch-eligible students, while others will be assigned to mobile technology repair units.

“We will find other things for them to do to remain employed but be productive at the same time,” human resources director Alice Walton said.

This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 3:54 PM.