Rep. Herbkersman blowing off teachers, best interests of South Carolina schools
Our schools
Rep. Herbkersman voted on a bill to require all schools to offer 5 days of face to face instruction by April 26th. He should know that his district has been offering that option since 1/4/21. The reason he should know this, outside of being informed about his district, is because teachers reached out to him in January and February with concerns over teacher vaccinations while full-time face to face teaching. He planned to meet with these concerned teachers, had his staff email us with time to expect to talk with him about these concerns, and then never scheduled the call. Rep. Herbkersman serves one of the areas with largest school districts in the state, yet he couldn’t find time (when session is only 3 days a week) to address concerns.
The state has found $1.7 billion surplus in the budget. If Rep. Herbkersman wants to show the people of D118 that he truly cares about their best interests, he would be fighting for that money to go to addressing teacher shortages, improving school infrastructure, or any of the myriad of other needs that the people of D118 could benefit from.
Emily Mayer, Bluffton
Wear a mask
With some local and state governments lifting masking requirements, personal responsibility of citizens becomes most important. Health care workers advise people receiving their vaccinations that they must continue to wear a mask, exercise social distance, wash hands and avoid groups. The CDC continues to advise us that a mask protects you and them. While vaccines are helping to control hospitalizations and death, sickness continues among younger people who are not vaccinated, among people who choose not to be vaccinated and even among vaccinated people who are contracting the more contagious variants of COVID-19.
We are not through this yet. Close, but not through the COVID-19 nightmare. If everyone exercises personal responsibility and wears a mask, we will get to the end. We are all in this together. As Americans, we have been here before and have shown that when we unite, we can win most challenges.
Be a patriot, a responsible American. Wear a mask.
Barbara B. Ernico, Hilton Head
Downtown Beaufort
Dear City Planners of Beaufort, S.C. I just drove through town on Bay — delighted to see so many people enjoying this beautiful day. If you approve ALL of the new construction projects slated for our little, tiny downtown, I wonder where the residents will park? To visit the library? To go to a local restaurant? To take guests to see the wonderful waterfront park?
Parking was scarce at best on this nice Saturday — it will be nonexistent if all of the proposed projects are approved. The future does not look bright for us locals. It would be really sad to hear people say “I just don’t go downtown anymore”. Please, please think this through.
Elizabeth Barton, Beaufort
USCB
When the WHO in March 2020 declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, University of South Carolina Beaufort — like so many institutions worldwide — needed to act quickly and decisively. In just a few days, we converted to online classes and evacuated campus except for essential personnel. We developed a COVID Response Plan, publicized it on our website (including weekly case counts) and partnered with local agencies to address campus health.
We created our own contact tracing team. Faculty learned new teaching methods for engaging online instruction. USCB reduced classroom occupancy, suspended non-essential activities, upgraded building ventilation protocols, provided health kits, and retooled cleaning practices. Employees conduct mental-health “check-ins” with quarantined students. To limit student travel, “Spring Break” was rearranged as single days distributed throughout the term.
We constantly revise our protocols as new evidence emerges. Our careful response has resulted in zero classroom COVID transmissions and no super-spreading events. All this may sound simple, however, it was anything but. Difficult decisions were made to promote safety and limit strain on community resources. COVID-19 has underscored USCB’s commitment to roll up our sleeves and work to meet the region’s needs now and in the future.
Dr. Kimberly Dudas, Dean of the School of the Professions, USCB