Sumter School District to go fully virtual Monday as COVID-19 surges in South Carolina

As COVID-19 cases surge again locally and statewide, Sumter School District and others have decided to move back to full virtual instruction until at least through the holiday season.

Following this week, Sumter will transition back to full virtual learning on Monday, and a return to hybrid/blended learning at schools will not occur until Jan. 21, according to an update letter from the superintendent that was distributed Tuesday afternoon.

In the plan, teachers will remain in the schools to administer the live, virtual instruction from their classrooms.

Superintendent Penelope Martin-Knox said the transition is in the best interest of the safety and well-being of students and staff at this time.

In her update, Martin-Knox also said all athletic practices and games/competitions are temporarily suspended until further notice.

After a Monday announcement, Clarendon School District 2 in Manning went to full virtual instruction on Tuesday. The district tentatively has set a Jan. 5 return date to hybrid instruction, according to an update letter from Superintendent Shawn Johnson.

Regarding academics in both districts, students are expected to log on to their issued devices daily to participate in virtual instruction and complete assignments. MAP testing and End of Course assessments will still be administered, and both assessments must be completed independently, the districts said.

In Sumter, students will receive live, virtual instruction next week, Dec. 14-18.

Monday, Dec. 21, and Tuesday, Dec. 22, are designated independent virtual learning days, and students will receive pre-recorded lessons and assignments.

Following those two days, all schools in the Sumter district will be closed for the winter holidays on Dec. 23 through Jan. 1. Live virtual instruction will resume on Monday, Jan. 4.

At least three other districts in close proximity to Sumter have also announced plans to transition to full virtual instruction, according to the state Department of Education. They include Orangeburg County School District, Florence School District 3 and Florence School District 4.

OTHER IMPORTANT DATES ON SUMTER'S CALENDAR

After the return to virtual instruction on Jan. 4, Sumter schools will be closed Monday, Jan. 18, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As mentioned, hybrid instruction will tentatively resume on Thursday, Jan. 21.

Regarding meals, they will be distributed as usual on Wednesday, Dec. 16, from 9 a.m. to noon, and again on Friday, Dec. 18, for the holiday break. Meal distribution will resume Wednesday, Jan. 6.

Efforts to reach the other districts in the tri-county region on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

COVID-19 SURGE LOCALLY

Sumter County continues to see a spike in new daily cases. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced the county had 35 confirmed cases on Tuesday, and the county's rolling seven-day average is approaching levels reached at the end of July, the worst so far Sumter has seen. The county has had 99 deaths associated with the coronavirus since March, according to DHEC.

As of Tuesday, there have been 220,961 total confirmed cases in the state and 4,253 deaths. The percentage of tests on Tuesday across the state that came back positive was 18.9%. Health experts have said anything above 10% can indicate uncontrolled spread of the virus.