District’s virtual restart option draws 2,945 students – Coastal Observer
LOG IN

COASTAL OBSERVER

District’s virtual restart option draws 2,945 students

The district supplies Chromebooks to students starting in third grade.

Nearly one-third of students are already enrolled in the Georgetown County School District’s virtual program for the 2020-21 school year.

As of noon on Wednesday, 2,945 students signed up. That number could increase since the district extended the sign-up deadline to Monday, or decrease since parents have until Aug. 14 to withdraw a child.

The district had a little more than 9,300 students at the beginning of the last school year. 

“Our team that is coordinating the new Georgetown Virtual Program is working incredibly hard to build structures and have them in place while also answering questions from parents and teachers who have expressed an interest in this option,” Superintendent Keith Price said. “In addition to creating schedules for all students accepted into the program, teachers will also need to be selected to teach in this environment and provided with the needed professional development and training to help ensure a quality experience for our students.”

The district announced three reopening options on Aug. 21: “remote,” which is fully virtual instruction; “hybrid,” which has students divided into two groups and in school two days a week, distance learning two days, and then at home for a flexible day; and “prime,” which has students and teachers reunited in classrooms.

Price is expected to announce which phase the district will start the school year with on Aug. 10. The phase will be for September only.

Parents will be asked to “commit” to keeping their child in the virtual option until the end of the semester, even if all the district’s other students return to regular classes. However, the district will review request from parents to transfer a child out of the virtual program.

The district will host informational sessions for students in the virtual program and their parents before school starts on Sept. 8.

Price said the district’s reopening plans seem to be going well.

“Of course there are opinions about it, some that are in favor, some that are not,” Price said. “We knew there would not be one plan that would meet everyone’s approval. That’s a challenge when you’ve got impossible odds stacked against you.”

LOCAL EVENTS

Meetings

Georgetown County Board of Education: First and third Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m., Beck Education Center. For details, go to gcsd.k12.sc.us. Georgetown County Council: Second and fourth Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m., Council Chambers, 129 Screven St., Georgetown. For details, go to georgetowncountysc.org. Pawleys Island Town Council: Second Mondays, 5 p.m. Town Hall, 323 Myrtle Ave. For details, go to townofpawleysisland.com.   , .

READ MORE

Churches

READ MORE