S.C. schools ask lawmakers help after weeks of missed classes

COLUMBIA - With a little over two months left in the school year, a few South Carolina school districts that missed more than two weeks of classes because of Hurricane Florence are turning to lawmakers to help.

A bill that unanimously passed the House would allow school districts to send a request to the South Carolina Department of Education to waive any days missed beyond the tenth day for bad weather.

Senators were a little more skeptical about the proposal .

"If they can forgive three weeks of school and still get all the education that they need, then we don't need to have a 180-day calendar," Republican Sen. Shane Massey of Edgefield said.

Because districts need to go ahead and finalize their calendars, the Senate Education Committee reluctantly sent the bill to the Senate floor Wednesday promising to look at possible changes.

"If these students don't need that many days in school, then we are spending a lot of extra money on education that we could channel somewhere else," said Democratic Sen. Brad Hutto of Orangeburg.

South Carolina has a policy in place for making up days missed for bad weather, whether from snow, a hurricane or other natural disaster. Districts are required to have three makeup days in their calendar. The local school board can vote to either make up or waive the fourth, fifth, and sixth days missed and for days seven through nine, a district can ask state education officials for permission to not have to make up those days.

The rules for a tenth day and beyond?

"Contact your representative," the state Education Department's rules read.

Four districts would be affected by the legislation. Horry County schools missed 17 days and have already made up seven. Georgetown County schools missed 12 days and have made up five. Marion County schools missed 12 days and have made up seven. Marlboro County schools missed 10 days and have made up six, according to the South Carolina Education Department.

Democratic Sen. Vincent Sheheen of Camden told his fellow senators that the bill only affects the 2018-19 school year, and they shouldn't get caught in the weeds trying to help some school districts who had to deal with an unprecedented event.

"You can have a rule, but there is always going to be extraordinary circumstances," Sheheen said.