If a coronavirus outbreak occurs in South Carolina, it could mean prolonged school closures and missed classes for students.
SC Department of Education spokesman Ryan Brown estimates that a serious outbreak could result in some schools being closed for a month – roughly twice the virus incubation period – as a precautionary health and safety measure.
If a student or employee is positive for the virus, the school district will work with the Department of Environmental Health and SC Control to assess the likelihood of transmission, Brown said.
The next step would be to determine who the person came into contact with, how they got the virus and who is nearby.
“Closures are possible in these circumstances,” said Brown. “There would be closures for probably significant periods of time that would definitely disrupt the regular school calendar.”
It is also possible for students and families to be quarantined.
“It doesn’t mean that if a child receives it, schools will be closed,” he said. “But it is a different possibility”.
Schools will not make the decision on their own. They largely depend on DHEC guidelines and recommendations.
But with no confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus in the state by Thursday afternoon, most school districts are focusing on preventing the spread of germs. This means reinforcing hygiene practices, cleaning surfaces and advising parents to keep their children at home if they start to experience flu-like symptoms.
To promote better hand washing techniques, the Charleston County school district has ordered GloGerm and ultraviolet lights for all of its schools, said spokesman Andy Pruitt. After washing your hands with GloGerm, an ultraviolet light can show the residue that remains, because the lotion-like substance glows brightly under the light. The goal is to teach students to wash their hands properly.
School districts are also beginning to monitor the attendance of students, teachers and staff to see if there are any trends.
A noticeable drop in attendance may indicate that something is wrong, said Pruitt. If this happens, the school’s nurses will investigate.
If schools are forced to close, there are several options available to minimize time lost in class. Educational television, video streaming classes, virtual learning programs, spreadsheet tasks and information packages are options considered, said Brown.
There are 15 school districts across the state that have been authorized to participate in an eLearning makeup day pilot program operated by the Education Supervision Committee. However, it was not designed to function as a permanent virtual classroom.
“If a school district is already participating in the pilot, it is certainly a very useful tool for them to have, but again, it was never intended to replace basic education,” said Brown.
Some rural school districts may not have individual electronic devices for students or reliable home internet service. Brown estimates that about a third of school districts have the technological resources to implement a similar e-Learning program.
Charleston County officials said plans are being considered to continue instruction in the event of a long school closure; Pruitt did not mention details.
The Berkeley County school district said it is prepared to implement its eLearning model to make up for lost time in class, but it is not being considered an option for the long-term virtual school.
According to state law, all public school districts must have three days of school recovery on their academic calendar. If more time is wasted, the local school council can decide on mandatory classes on Saturdays or add additional hours to regular school days.
They also have the power to totally dispense with additional days.
After six days lost, local districts must petition the SC Education Council to waive any missed class hours.
After nine days lost, only the General Assembly has the authority to decide whether the days will be waived or compensated.
Brown said the Department of Education had preliminary discussions about legislative action to deal with the prolonged closure of schools if an outbreak occurs.
Contact Jenna Schiferl at 843-937-5764. Follow her on Twitter at @jennaschif.