Chester County law enforcement to check on students who haven’t responded to schools
Chester County School District leaders and local law enforcement are checking on students who never responded to teachers or district personnel while schools have been closed.
Due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, school buildings have been closed since mid-March. Districts implemented remote learning for all students.
During the closure, districts have provided families options for picking up and dropping off instructional materials, including paper packets. Districts also provided free meals for students.
A statement from Chester County School District leaders Thursday said about six percent of middle and high school students did not respond to the district when the shutdown happened and have not participated in E-learning. The district was able to connect with all elementary students.
In a statement, district leaders said Superintendent Angela Bain is working with law enforcement to check on students.
“Our goal is to determine the child’s well-being and facilitate communication between the child, parent and school. Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office will pay close attention to potentially harmful situations to ensure the safety of each child within their home,” reads the statement.
Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey said his office is sending deputies to residences of students who did not make contact with the school district to help ensure all students are safe.
“This is a pro-active effort by law enforcement to help the school district and the public, and check on everyone we can,” Dorsey said.
Welfare checks began this week, Dorsey said.
Dorsey, a parent of children in the district whose wife is a district teacher, took the idea to school officials after reading in a national news story in USA Today that some South Carolina students had not been participating in E-learning for a variety of reasons.
“If there are students and families in Chester County who need support, that’s what we are here for,” Dorsey said.
Dorsey said the law enforcement visits are not meant to be criminal investigations, but only as assistance to the public and schools.
“This is not punitive, this is not big government checking on people,” Dorsey said. “This is our office helping our residents and their children.”
All area school districts routinely check in with students and families.
The Rock Hill school district also had some students who did not respond during remote learning, said Mychal Frost, spokesperson.
Of 8,461 elementary students, 273 (3.2%) did not respond, Frost said. Of 9,029 middle and high school students, 530 (5.9%) were non-responsive. Those numbers represent about 4.9% of the district’s population of 17,490 students.
Frost said teachers regularly contact families in a variety of ways. He said they will continue to do so through the end of the school year.
“Our collective efforts have helped our students to continue learning throughout the past two months,” Frost said in a prepared statement. “It is our desire to see that students are safe, well, and engaged during this period of time.”
The Rock Hill school district has taken a “grace before grades” approach to remote learning, Frost said. Complete guidelines are posted on the district’s website under eLearning.
“Grading guidelines were set by the district and established no student would score lower in the fourth quarter than his or her grade at the end of quarter three which ended just prior to the closure,” he said in an e-mailed statement.
Joe Burke, spokesperson for the Fort Mill school district, said staff have worked to maintain contact with students and families. Grading information is posted on the district’s website.
The York school district has used multiple avenues to touch base with students and families, said Tim Cooper, spokesperson. Cooper said when there are concerns, social workers check on students.
Grading guidelines are available on the York school district’s website.
A similar process is done in Clover schools, said Bryan Dillon, spokesperson. Grading information is posted on the district’s website.
Lancaster County school teachers also consistently reach out to students and families, said spokesperson Michelle Craig. Grading information is available on the district’s website.
No further data was available Thursday on non-responsive students from area districts.
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 4:28 PM.
