COLUMBIA, S.C. — In an effort to keep the community informed of how the rising number of COVID-19 cases are impacting schools in the Midlands, WLTX reached out to area school districts to compile a list of those schools temporarily transitioning from in-person to virtual classrooms.
Richland County District 1
All indoor athletic events will have limits on the number of spectators until further notice starting Tuesday, Jan. 18. All district indoor athletic facilities will be limited to 40% capacity -- 600 persons for high schools and 100 persons for middle schools, with those numbers including teams, coaches and spectators.
Mask wearing will be required upon entrance, and masks must remain on while inside the facility. Spectators should not remove their masks after they are seated in the bleachers. Social distancing also will be enforced.
Richland County District 2
Lake Carolina Elementary Lower: The first grade is virtual through Jan. 21, with an anticipated return to in-person instruction on Monday, Jan. 24. Please note pre-K, kindergarten and second grade are continuing with in-person instruction.
Beginning on January 11th through January 24th, the district will operate daily curbside meal service for Lake Carolina Elementary - Lower first-grade students from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Meals can be picked up via the car rider line.
All meals are still at no cost for all children under the age of 18.
Lexington School District 1
No schools in virtual this week.
Lexington School District 3
Lexington School District 3 will be virtual for the week of January 18 through the 21. (January 17 was already a holiday).
There will be no in-person, school-related practices, activities or games while Lexington Three is in remote learning mode. This means that all sports activities for both JV and Varsity teams are cancelled until the school returns to in-person instruction. The after-school programs at B-L Primary and B-L Elementary Schools are also cancelled while the district is in remote learning mode. In addition, day and evening classes at the Lifelong Learning Center are cancelled from January 18th through the 21st.
Families who would like to pick-up four days worth of free meals courtesy of Lexington Three’s Food Services Department can do so on Wednesday, January 19th at B-L Elementary School from 9 am until 11 am. Meals will be dispersed in the side bus loop of the school.
Lexington-Richland 5
Beginning Friday, Jan. 14, ALL students in District 5 will shift to virtual learning until Wednesday, Jan. 19.
- Students should log on to their Google Classroom accounts every day at normal class times for synchronous (real-time, live instruction) learning with their teachers. FIVE (Flexible Innovative Virtual Education) classes will continue as normal.
- Arts and athletic events scheduled for Friday and Tuesday will continue at 50% capacity and in compliance with SC High School League regulations. All other extracurricular activities, including school-related clubs and activities, will resume when students return to in-person learning on Wednesday, January 19, 2022.
- School District Five Student Nutrition Services will distribute meals at the front of each school from 11:00-12:00 each day of virtual learning. Meals are free for all students.
If your student is currently isolated or quarantined, this shift does not impact the length of the isolation or quarantine period specified by the school nurse. Before students return to school, families should consult the Symptom Screening Checklist. Students and staff should also continue to social distance when possible, wear masks, and use proper hand hygiene in order to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. For resources to support families and children during the pandemic, please visit our Parenting and Social Work Services website.
Newberry County Schools
The district says due to a high number of students and staff impacted by Covid-19. As a result, all schools will shift from in-person instruction to eLearning virtual instruction from Tuesday, January 18 through Friday, January 21. There will be no school-related extracurricular or after school activities from January 18- January 21.
Breakfast and lunch for January 18-21 can be picked up at Newberry Middle School, Mid-Carolina High School, or Whitmire Community School between the hours of 10:30 am – 1:00 pm each day.
Orangeburg County Schools
No schools are virtual this week.
Sumter County Schools
No virtual this week.