As students in Charleston County return to the classroom full-time after winter break, some concerned parents and educators say the decision to keep the school open is a dangerous mistake.
The students went back to school in person on Monday, after two weeks of winter vacation. Most Lowcountry school districts, including Berkeley, Colleton and Dorchester District 2, chose to temporarily stop teaching face-to-face, citing fears of a post-Christmas spike in COVID-19 cases.
But even when other districts announced plans to change learning models, Charleston County School District officials remained steadfast, raising concerns for lawmakers, parents and teachers.
More than three dozen teachers at a Mount Pleasant elementary school signed a letter describing their frustrations. The message was sent to school principals, school board members and Superintendent Gerrita Postlewait. Several other similar messages obtained by Post and Courier were also sent to district officials by educators this weekend.
“It is very worrying that the Charleston County School District has made a decision that does not seem to be in the best interest of the health and safety of our faculty, staff, students or their families,” said a letter.
The district has reported a total of 555 cases of COVID-19 associated with its schools since classes began in September. Of these, 136 were reported during the winter break, according to the district’s coronavirus panel.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the state of Palmetto has increased in recent weeks. On Monday, the state’s average seven-day positive test rate was more than 31%.
“There is a lot of frustration, a lot of worry and concern,” said Patrick Kelly, director of government affairs for the Palmetto State Teachers’ Association, about Charleston’s decision to keep schools open five days a week after winter break. “I think it is really causing some morale problems with teachers, but more importantly, I think it is causing many teachers to be concerned about the safety and health of themselves, their colleagues and students.”
But according to Charleston’s director of operations, Jeff Borowy, the district is well equipped to safely bring students and staff back to school.
The district has installed more than 60 miles of clear plastic guards to separate students’ desks, he said, and teachers are remaining vigilant about requiring students to wear masks inside.
During a December 14 school board meeting, experts from the Medical University of South Carolina told administrators that current data suggests that the spread of coronavirus within schools has remained low.
Postlewait and other administrators used this guidance in their decision to continue the course with face-to-face learning plans.
“Despite the increase in cases in Charleston County and South Carolina, we are very confident that the procedures and protocols we have in place far outweigh the negative situation of sending children out of school,” said Borowy.
In addition, he said, other regions of the state of Palmetto, including Midlands and Upstate, are experiencing a more severe increase in virus activity than what is being reported in Lowcountry.
So far, the district has only needed to temporarily close a classroom as a result of the spread of COVID-19, said Borowy. This situation was necessary not because of a high rate of dissemination among students, but because of a staff problem.
Still, he said, there were some situations reported during the week of December 14, just before students were released for winter break, which may have been a cause for concern.
“Technically, we haven’t had an outbreak yet, but … the number of cases in specific schools, which may have resulted in the closure of a classroom, but it was not necessary because we were out of school,” said Borowy.
As a general rule, situations where there have been three cases reported in a two-week period in a classroom can result in the classroom closing, said Borowy.
“We are examining the cases hourly, day by day, to see if we need to change this switch,” he said. “But where we are now, we strongly believe that we have managed this successfully.”
Despite the recent outcry about Charleston’s reopening plans on social media, not all teachers agree that the district should return to virtual-only education.
Jody Stallings, CCSD professor and director of the Charleston Teacher Alliance, said that a recent study of more than 700 educators found that 50% believed the district should not return to virtual learning during the pandemic. Thirty-eight percent said they supported online learning only and 12% said they did not know which option was the best.
“I just think there is a lot of division. There are some teachers who are very sure that it is dangerous for us to return and there are others who think it is the best thing for children, ”said Stallings.
But many teachers are afraid, Starlings said, and for schools to remain open in the future, district leaders need to ensure that classrooms are properly cleaned, that students are socially removed and that wearing masks is mandatory.
“I think they see death. That is the main point,” said Stallings.
Council member Kristen French said the “vast majority” of parents and educators who contacted her in the past few days are very concerned about the district’s return to face-to-face learning.
Council members are not expected to meet again until Monday, but French said she asked to schedule a special meeting before that to discuss the spread of COVID-19 and the district’s education model.
“When the community is high, we have to believe that it will enter schools. And it is in schools, transmission is more likely to occur in schools, so the risk is greater for everyone involved. using good practices. … I think it would be very useful if we came back, “she said.
Still, she said, moving everyone to the virtual school would be a tremendously complicated task, and if the school reduced capacity by 25 or 50 percent, it would be difficult to prioritize who stays in person and who doesn’t.
