LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — Students in Lancaster County will have to wait a little longer to return to school on a more full-time basis. The district was aiming to start bringing elementary school students and then other grade levels back four days a week, but the plan hinged on installing plexiglass.
Lancaster County School District Superintendent Jonathan Phipps announced in a YouTube video Friday there is a problem with the plexiglass they were sent.
"We have received our order of 20,000 desk shields from the Department of Education, and here's an example," he said, showing one of the plexiglass shields.
These plexiglass shields were supposed to be part of the solution to get more kids back in the classroom in Lancaster County. The district said the barriers combined with other measures would allow for shorter distances of social distancing.
The only issue: their size.
"According to DHEC requirements, the shields must be 12 inches above the student's head — little short there — nd 12 inches to the side to give coverage," Phipps said in the video. "So, these are actually just too small."
The district says the plexiglass they were sent from the Department of Education doesn't meet DHEC requirements, forcing the district to change its plan to bring students back for more days of in-person learning.
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"Timeline has changed," Phipps said. "It will probably be after Christmas break, winter break before the elementary students are able to come back four days a week."
However, a South Carolina Department of Education spokesperson said the department disagrees with the superintendent's statements, adding that the plexiglass was reviewed by DHEC's public health director and received positive feedback.
The spokesperson said the same plexiglass is being used in districts throughout the state with no issue, and Lancaster County ordered the plexiglass in question from the Department of Education after reviewing all available products and dimensions.
The South Carolina Department of Education said it offered to move Lancaster’s order to other schools in need, but the district has refused.
Additionally, a spokesperson said the district has also asked where they can get more of the state-purchased plexiglass from vendors.