Charleston County is now in the “middle” range, with 8.8 percent of people taking the COVID tests finding they have contracted the virus, and this is cause for some cautious optimism, noted superintendent Gerrita Postlewait at the school board meeting February 22nd. District authorities want students to return to the classroom as soon as possible.
But the county is still experiencing a “high” incidence rate of 425 per 100,000 people, so more vigilance is needed.
District authorities hope to minimize virtual learning in the coming year, ease the burden on teachers and return students to classrooms in large numbers. Online options will remain available at all levels of education and adjustments will certainly be required.
“We would like to have all of our children back, but we realized that this is not possible for all families,” she told the council, which approved the 2021-22 academic calendar at the meeting.
The teacher-student ratio will increase in the fall due to continued safety concerns, Postlewait said.
This means more teachers to contain class sizes. Parents should indicate enrollment preferences in March, giving the district a clearer idea of what resources will be needed.
The objective is to improve the quality of learning, reinforce safety protocols and reduce costs, said the superintendent.
Some teachers are managing classroom and online learning at the same time. This is asking educators a lot and it should stop, she said.
Operations director Jeff Borowy, responding to a question about federal recommendations, athletics and the spread of the COVID virus, said the district considers the information released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but consults the Medical University and the Department of South Carolina. Southern Health Control and Environment for the formulation of COVID policies for schools.
High exposure in a single school (three cases or more over a two-week period) triggers immediate consultation with the DHEC medical director at Lowcountry, he said.
The council voted to approve a 180-day academic calendar 2021-22, which begins on Wednesday, August 18, and aligns with the calendars of Berkeley County and District 2. Dorchester schools. Spring break will come just before Easter Sunday, which is April 17, 2022.
Calendar options were proposed to parents who indicated their preferences and offered comments (1,100 of them) on various subjects. Some asked about an extended timetable, but school officials did not indicate that this was an option to be seriously considered.
Others complained about teachers’ working days in the middle of the week, which result in early breaks or early releases for students. The council voted to move some of them to the end of the week, but three others could not be changed due to external restrictions.
Some parents noticed that “eLearning Days” helped to fill in the gaps and asked for more of them. The district is allowed up to five, which are on the calendar.
CFO Donald Kennedy reported that the annual budget for the 2021-22 school year is under construction, although it is not finalized until district goals are determined and then approved by the council, and the state legislature provides information on any funding changes.