COLUMBIA, S.C. — Newly passed South Carolina Senate Bill 704 states that every school district in the state is to offer a five day, in-person instruction no later than the week of April 12.
Republican Senator Shane Massey, who represents Aiken, Edgefield, Lexington, McCormick and Saluda Counties, said getting kids back into the classroom has been a topic of discussion for months now.
"One of the things I've heard the most from constituents this year has been getting kids back in school five days a week, in front of their teachers," Massey said. "I think we've all heard this from across party lines. We've heard it from all over the state. This is a big issue."
Currently, 54 school districts statewide are face-to-face five days a week, but a majority of the other districts have plans to get to that level soon.
"This would cause some of them to speed up their plans," Massey said. "We are just trying to give them a little encouragement here to get the kids back in the classroom as soon as possible."
But the bill does not mean that students won't still have a virtual option.
Patrick Kelly with the Palmetto State Teachers Association said he thinks this is a good step forward.
"I think we have reached a place, because of teacher vaccinations, which A) increases the health and safety in the building, but B) it enhances the staffing in the building," Kelly said. "But, our schools are better equipped to manage a five-day instructional model and so, if that's what families want for their students, they should be able to opt for that."
Kelly, who is also a teacher, said even though some students have excelled virtually, many students have not.
"As we hopefully start to move out of the pandemic, especially as we are transitioning into the summer and into the fall of 2021, the closer we can get back to face-to-face instruction for all students, I think that is going to be the best outcome for our students across South Carolina," Kelly said. "But, I think we also can't fall into the trap of just saying, 'Oh we're going back to normal,' because our students haven't experienced normal for the last 13 months."
The bill also includes increased earnings for retired teachers to allow them to come back to work and prohibits teachers from having to teach both virtually and in-person.
The bill will now head over to the House.
News 19 reached out to the State Department of Education about the bill. State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman sent the following statement:
"Every family must be given the option of sending their child to school five days a week, face to face, and the science shows that this can be done safely in every community. I am thankful for the educators who have been making this option a reality for many throughout this school year and fully support the action taken by the Senate today to ensure every school will be fully open for in-person learning now and into the future."