ELGIN, S.C. — As the South Carolina Department of Education begins to review school districts reopening plans, at least one Midlands school district still plans to offer the option of week-long, face-to-face instruction.
"It is a pretty complex decision making how we are going to hold instruction for the school year," Kershaw County School District Spokesperson Mary Anne Byrd said.
As the calendar continues move closer and closer to the start of the school year, districts all over the state are preparing for what the 2020-2021 academic year will look like.
In Kershaw County, Byrd said they have been working for weeks to give every household an option that works best for them.
"The first one is face-to-face instruction on 5 days a week, similar to what they were used to traditionally," Byrd said.
Byrd said the district sent a survey out to families about what they would like more, in-person instruction or virtual options.
"It's almost split for families who say I think I'm going to send my child back for face-to-face instruction vs we're going to virtual instruction," Byrd said. "One common theme we've heard over and over again is thank you for the choice."
Byrd said of course there will be social distancing guidelines and other health measures in place, if folks decide the in-person, face-to-face option.
"The second option is an eCampus live option. That is a virtual learning where the student would be able to see the teacher and engage with the teacher on the regular school day schedule," Byrd said. "And then our third option is also an eCampus virtual option, but we call it self paced so the student can do it on his or her own schedule."
If the option a parent chose doesn't work out, they can switch.
"We are allowing our families to make an initial choice, but then at the mid-point of every 9 week grading period, if there's a reason why that option doesn't seem to be working for the student then the family can make a choice and move to a different option each 4.5 week interval," Byrd said.
Lexington-Richland District 5, another Midlands district, had also planned on face-to-face instruction. But late Thursday made changes that would start their district on a hybrid plan, and would also offer a full virtual option.
In all, the State Department of Education said they've received plans from around 70 districts across the state. None of those plans has been approved yet. Those approvals are expected to begin as early as next week.