S.C. Schools Won't Reopen This Year

By David DykesGov. Henry McMaster and Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said Wednesday, April 22, South Carolina schools won't reopen this academic year.In a live-streamed announcement regarding the future of education in the state, McMaster said conditions due to the coronavirus pandemic don't warrant reopening South Carolina schools, which have been closed for weeks.Spearman called it a difficult decision but said it was the correct one. Greenville County Schools officials said students won't return to in-school instruction this year, but will continue with eLearning through the last day of school on Thursday, June 4, 2020.

The rule for social distancing, which requires limiting close contact with others and remaining six feet apart in public places, cannot be maintained on school buses or in school settings, the officials said.

“This is not the way anyone in public education would have wanted the 2019-20 school year to end, but given the circumstances, I want to thank Governor McMaster and Superintendent Spearman for acting decisively to keep schools on eLearning for the remainder of the year after hearing the concerns of educators about the difficulties of operating school while maintaining social distancing recommendations,” said Greenville County Schools Superintendent Dr. Burke Royster. “Though our students and teachers have been especially challenged to adjust to a new way of teaching and learning this year, they have done an incredible job making this change and have modeled resilience for all of us along the way.”