By HEATHER WALTERS
The Colleton County School Board has voted 6-1 to expand the district’s in-person learning.
The vote was taken during a special-called school board meeting, held on March 30th. The board’s vote came after current Interim Superintendent John Tindal recommended that the board expand in-person learning for all students who wish to be taught in-person. The expansion will allow students to attend school five days each week, starting May 3rd.
The vote comes as the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Colleton County are decreasing: according to Colleton County Administrative official Megan Utsey, there are currently 58 active cases of the respiratory virus in Colleton County. This is as of press deadline on Tuesday.
Statewide, there are 467,750 confirmed total cases of COVID-19 in South Carolina, according to data released on April 5th by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC).
As for the Colleton County School District, current students who are learning in the in-person model can attend classes five days a week, Monday through Friday, starting May 3rd. Currently, students are attending four days a week. The instructional days for Colleton schools are:
Black Street Early Childhood Center, 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m.;
All elementary schools, 7:30 A.M. TO 2:15 P.M.;
Colleton County Middle School, 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.,
Colleton County High School, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Bus routes and school arrival and dismissal times will remain the same, according to Sean Gruber, spokesman for the local school district.
“Protecting our staff and students during the COVID-19 pandemic remains CCSD’s first priority,” he said, in a written statement. “In order to keep our school facilities as safe as possible as the district expands in-person learning, CCSD continue to utilize the safety practices.
According to Gruber, safe COVID-19 practices within the Colleton County School District include:
District employees receiving the COVID-19 vaccine;
More than 6,000 desk barriers have been placed in all school facilities;
Schools and buses are being cleaned daily;
Anyone visiting the district property and schools are required to wear a mask throughout the instructional day;
Students will undergo temperature checks upon entering the district’s buildings and schools;
Social distancing is enforced.
For more information, parents are asked to contact their child’s school.
