Gov. Henry McMaster and Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced this morning that South Carolina schools will remain closed through the end of the school year.
The 2019-2020 school year will finish online.
The districts will still have the same last day of school as previously planned.
Spearman said the decision was difficult but ultimately the right one.
The decision came after much discussion with teachers, district leaders, parents, and health officials, McMaster said.
In a press release, Greenville County Schools Superintendent Dr. Burke Royster said, "This is not the way anyone in public education would have wanted the 2019-20 school year to end, but given the circumstances, I want to thank Governor McMaster and Superintendent Spearman for acting decisively to keep schools on eLearning for the remainder of the year after hearing the concerns of educators about the difficulties of operating school while maintaining social distancing recommendations.”
"Though our students and teachers have been especially challenged to adjust to a new way of teaching and learning this year, they have done an incredible job making this change and have modeled resilience for all of us along the way," Royster said.
According to Superintendent Spearman, many feel the same.
After a call with over 4,000 teachers, Spearman reported approximately 80% of the teachers felt very pleased with how instruction is going.
Both McMaster and Spearman emphasized their hopes for graduation ceremonies for seniors.
"You deserve a graduation ceremony and we want that to happen for you," Spearman said.
The state is working with the school districts to see what graduation ceremonies might be viable.
Additionally, school districts will schedule times for students to come to the schools and pick up any personal materials which may have been left in school buildings.
More information is available here.
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