Jasper County schools return to in-person classes 4 days a week soon. What we know
The Jasper County School District has delayed by a week the start of in-person classes.
Students enrolled in a hybrid schedule, attending a mixture of in-person and online-only classes, will start Monday, instead of this week, according to a school district news release.
In-person classes for those who chose them will run Monday through Thursday, with online classes on Fridays.
The virtual-only option is still available, but the release says any students who are “experiencing academic difficulties, connectivity issues, and/or attendance concerns” should attend in-person classes.
Everyone in the school buildings will be required to wear masks, social distancing will be enforced and temperatures taken. The schools also will follow consistent and cleaning and sanitation protocols.
The district has also established a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site for students and staff. The site is at the alternative school on Frays Highway from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
District administration previously said it has been consulting with medical professionals and kept local COVID-19 data and guidelines in mind when making decisions on when to return to school.
Ridgeland Elementary School, Hardeeville Elementary School, and Jasper County Alternative Program students will attend school from 7 a.m to 2:30 p.m. Hardeeville-Ridgeland Middle School and Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School students will attend from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Since the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control began collecting data in March, Jasper County has 1,809 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 36 deaths as a result of the virus.
Neighboring Beaufort County School District returned to in-person classes on Jan. 4 when winter break ended. Since March, the county has had 12,633 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 145 deaths, according to DHEC.
In mid-January, Beaufort County schools also surpassed 600 cases of COVID among students and staff as dozens of people were quarantining.
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 9:33 AM.
