This Beaufort County school is moving to full virtual instruction for a week
Whale Branch Middle School is moving to full virtual instruction for a week as more than half of the student body is actively quarantining, Beaufort County School District announced Thursday.
Virtual schooling will begin Friday and last through Sept. 17, with students returning to in-person class on Sept. 20. Families will be able to pick up internet hotspots and meals at the school.
All of the students quarantining are considered close contacts of someone who was diagnosed with COVID-19.
District spokesperson Bruder said Thursday that Whale Branch Middle is the only district school going fully virtual right now.
“The decision to transition an entire school to virtual learning, even temporarily, is not made lightly,” Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said in a press release.
“As school and district administrators, we take many factors into consideration when analyzing the impact that COVID-19 is having on a school’s ability to effectively and safely continue normal operations.”
The school shutdown comes as concerns about COVID skyrocket in Beaufort County schools.
Between Monday and Wednesday, the district logged 70 new COVID-19 cases, 64 among students and six among staff. There are 2,030 students and 29 staff currently quarantining, Bruder said.
Beaufort County School District has not made numbers available for COVID-19 infections and quarantines by school. However, Bruder said that among the district’s 31 schools, Bluffton Middle School, Whale Branch Middle School and Hilton Head Island Middle School have recorded the most new COVID-19 infections this week.
Since the school year started Aug. 16, the district has logged 740 COVID-19 infections. That’s a little over 3% of the district’s combined 24,400 students and staff.
On Wednesday, Bluffton Middle School announced that Terry Wisdom, a technology teacher at the school, died. According to family members, he died of COVID-19 complications.
Across the district, schools are prepping for more students to go virtual. Last week, one in every eight students was quarantining.
Rodriguez announced Tuesday that the district will offer live virtual instruction for students in quarantine, meaning teachers will hold class for in-person and remote students at the same time via Zoom.
“This is only for students who are quarantining as a result of a COVID-19 diagnosis or exposure,” Bruder said Wednesday. “This is not a long-term virtual instruction option, nor will it be available to students who are not at school for reasons other than COVID-19.”
Teachers who hold these “dual modality” classes will be paid a $1,000 stipend in December for the first semester.
“We realize this temporary shift to virtual learning is an inconvenience for families,” Rodriguez said. “But, we are prepared to do what is necessary to keep our students and staff safe.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2021 at 1:24 PM.