Georgetown Co. School Board approves reopening recommendations

GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Georgetown County School district says they plan to offer in person, hybrid and two virtual options for learning next school year.

The school board met on Tuesday at the Georgetown High School.

During the meeting, district staff presented recommendations for next school year which also included safety protocols for schools and buses, social and emotional health initiatives, sports updates, school lunch procedures among other things.

The board approved a new start date for students for Sept. 8. The last day of school will be June 17.

The four learning options recommended for the upcoming school year are as followed:

• Remote Learning: Students will receive instruction via live streaming and coursework through Google Classroom. Unlike eLearning, which was implemented this past spring, students will follow a daily schedule just as they would in a brick and mortar school students will be taught by local certified teachers who are focused 100% on virtual instruction throughout the day. With this option, students can phase into in-person learning.
• Hybrid Learning: Students will be on campus two days a week, and assigned by groups. Students will receive instruction via distance learning and coursework through Google classroom and other platforms on the other days.
• Prime Learning: Students will return to full face-to-face instruction.
• Georgetown Virtual Program: Students are guaranteed virtual learning for an entire semester. The school district will be hiring teachers specifically for this online platform and parents must complete an application for this option.

The school district says they are committed to honoring the preferences of parents as long as safety is not compromised. They say parents will have two choices up front which include in-person or the virtual program.

District officials say parents choosing the in-person option should know that there is a possibility of starting in full virtual instruction and then phasing into hybrid and prime learning. The in-person option could also return to virtual instruction as COVID-19 metrics change.

Superintendent Keith Price says on Aug. 10 the district will announce what in-person learning options they plan to reopen with based on the number of COVID-19 cases in the area.

From there the district will provide month-to-month recommendations of learning options that will be available throughout the school year. School leaders say parents will know the options that are available a month before they are implemented.

“If you have a question make sure that you reach out to a former teacher, or school administrators or your counselors at the school and they may be able to help if you’re considering both of the options,” Price said.

The Georgetown Virtual Program applications are expected to be made available Wednesday. The deadline to sign-up for this all virtual option will be on Wednesday, July 29.

There are also mask mandates, new cleaning and safety protocols in place for in-person learning across the district.

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