CALHOUN COUNTY, S.C. — Calhoun County School District has announced they'll begin the year virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.
After an Emergency Board Meeting on Monday, the district decided to start the school year online. The school district says they have three plans of action to respond to COVID-19 activity within the county.
The district said in a press release, "These plans include a virtual, hybrid and face-to-face plan. Each plan will be ready to be implemented as we continue to observe the levels of Covid-19 in our county. The School District of Calhoun County will always put the safety of our students and staff at the forefront of any decisions that are made. "
School district superintendent Dr. Steve Wilson said they'll assess whether to move to hybrid or face-to-face instruction later on in the year.
"Everybody would like to have our kids back face-to-face starting the school year," said Dr. Wilson. "We feel that's always the best way to go but right now the pandemic just doesn't permit that the way we feel about it. We're hoping we can get them back again as soon as possible but we didn't want to deter any learning opportunities as early as possible."
The superintendent says they are working to have areas around the county where students will have internet access. The district will be giving out Chromebooks and laptops soon.
The superintendent believes online learning will be better this year since they've had time to prepare for it.