Fort Mill schools plan to fully open amid COVID; Clover, Rock Hill have target dates
A few local school districts now have an idea of when their high and middle schools will fully reopen.
Here’s what you need to know.
Fort Mill schools make plan official
The Fort Mill School District announced Monday afternoon that its middle and high school students will return to five-day, in-person instruction beginning March 15, per a release.
Up until now in the 2020-21 school year, most middle and high school students in the district were on a hybrid schedule — two days in-person, two days virtual. Elementary school students have been fully in-person since September.
The decision comes after the Center for Disease Control and other state entities and officials have advocated for a full return-to-school option for students, arguing that schools do not pose a high risk for transmission of COVID. It also comes while key legislation in the South Carolina House is pending approval: Bill S.516, which has passed the Senate and is now in the House, would fast track teachers to Phase 1A of vaccine distribution process and includes a requirement for all districts to offer five-day, in-person instruction starting on the Monday after each districts’ spring breaks.
This decision does not impact students in the Fort Mill virtual academy, the release states.
Rock Hill Schools consider target date
At a board meeting on Monday, Rock Hill Schools’ Superintendent Bill Cook said the district has a target return to school date of March 15 or March 22nd.
Like Fort Mill, currently the district’s elementary students have fully returned to school while its middle and high schools remain on a hybrid schedule.
Rock Hill school district spokesperson Mychal Frost told The Herald Monday that the district would want to reopen schools prior to the state mandating it, so the district could be “proactive” and could learn best practices and make adjustments over spring break.
Clover School District also has plan
Earlier this month, the Clover School District Board of Trustees and Superintendent Sheila Quinn agreed to transition to having all students in schools four days a week this past Monday. The district has also designated a target return date to five-days, in-person by March 8.
The dates give the district time to finish installing desk shields in Oakridge Middle and Clover High, per an email sent to parents, and to allow the district to monitor COVID spread amid the gradual increase in capacity.
As a result of these changes, there will be an impact on bus routes, the email said. The middle school schedule will move from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., beginning Feb. 22, to accommodate bus routes and the need for space on the bus.
This story was originally published February 23, 2021 at 9:08 AM.
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