ROCK HILL, S.C. — Monday, the Rock Hill School board will meet to discuss an updated plan to bring more students back to the classroom in-person.
Currently, elementary school students are attending classes five days a week. Middle and high school students are scheduled to return to classes in-person at the start of the second semester, Feb. 8.
The school’s plan to bring more students back to the classroom comes as South Carolina is battling peaking COVID-19 cases.
Sunday, the state reported 3,667 new cases with a total of 323,855 cases statewide. Since the start of in-person learning on Sept. 8, 386 students have tested positive for the virus as well as 237 staff members.
Those numbers among other cases in schools across South Carolina have motivated SC for ED, an advocacy group for teachers made up of teachers across the state of South Carolina, to released a letter calling for an end to all in-person learning.
The letter which was released on social media Sunday night, says in part, “to reopen schools for in-person instruction before first taking steps to drastically reduce the spread through the state is irresponsible, dangerous and unacceptable.”
The letter has received support from Rock Hill educators.
However, as an extra layer of protection to keep students and teachers safe, Rock Hill schools accepted 2,000 rapid COVID-19 tests from the state.
The tests are optional, and parents will have to give consent.