FORT MILL, S.C. — Fort Mill schools welcomed students back to class Monday for the first day of school as COVID-19 cases across South Carolina are on the rise due to the highly contagious delta variant.
Joe Burke, chief communications officer for Fort Mill School District, said the district is working to keep students in the classroom this year.
“We’re hoping that the strategy we have in place will allow us to continue to get through the year with all of our students in person and having a great shot at education,” Burke said.
The district’s strategy includes a new Air Guardian system that is being installed in every elementary and middle school classroom to rid the air of virus particles and improve overall air quality.
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There will also still be three feet of social distancing and contact tracing. State law prevents local school districts in South Carolina from requiring masks.
Kershaw County Schools, which started back Aug. 5, has 148 students who have tested positive for COVID-19 and another 809 in quarantine as of Monday morning.
Pickens County School District is back to virtual after starting in-person Aug. 3. That district reported 142 students tested positive for COVID-19, with 634 in quarantine as of Monday morning.
Fort Mill School District has a COVID-19 dashboard in place to monitor metrics within the district.
Burke said the district will adjust the plans as needed, depending on how and where the cases arise.
“We do have plans in place should we have a situation where we have to send a class virtual, a school grade virtual, a hallway virtual, or the entire district virtual,” said Burke. “We’ll have contingencies in place to deal with that if we do see a spike.”
Maurice Littlejohn waited in the drop-off line at Forest Creek Middle School Monday morning to send his eighth grade son, MJ, back in the classroom for the first time since March 2020.
“Great concern with the delta variant,” said Littlejohn. “Of course we want everyone to be safe, so we are doing everything we need to do, wearing masks, washing the hands, taking vitamins, things of that nature, so there is great concern, but hopefully everybody stays safe.”
Contact Kendall Morris at kmorris2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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