CHAPIN, S.C. — Lexington Richland Five School District held a board of trustees meeting on Monday night, discussing some of their plans for reopening schools in the fall.
"This is where we are at this point, but understand this is not necessarily where we will be later," explained superintendent Dr. Christina Melton.
Melton, along with other superintendents around the Midlands, is working to finalize plans for what the 2020-2021 school year will look like for the students in her district.
During the meeting, they explained that they plan on school starting on August 19th, but how classes will look has not been set in stone.
"It could be a virtual options, or an on-site five days a week, but if there is permission to do more of a blended model that you're hearing a lot of districts talking about, that is an option as well."
All around the Midlands, school districts are weighing their options, sending out surveys to teachers, parents and teachers, to get a better understanding of how comfortable they will be returning to classes in August.
Clarendon School District Two also sent out a household technology survey, to see how many homes have internet access that could accommodate online learning.
The Sumter School District has decided that they will start classes on August 17th, but they will be virtual. They plan on phasing into a hybrid model throughout the school year, which will include in-person classes.
Richland Two could start classes on August 19th, with a three-phased approach, starting with virtual learning and leading to a more traditional classroom.
However, all of these school districts will have to tackle social distancing, sanitation, bus capacity and an increase in staff, to accommodate smaller class sizes.