COLUMBIA, S.C. — Wednesday morning, South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman and the AccelerateED Task Force met virtually to discuss the future of education.
Many parents are still wondering what summer school and the fall could look like for students and so are educators.
Spearman and the AccelerateED Task Force are still working to figure out where funds are needed the most.
Spearman said she requested funding for six extra instructions days, which would be approximately $30 million a day, along with more than $50 million for summer school funding.
As well as resources to make sure students can access up to date technology, which is an issue in some districts across that state.
"We did receive comment back from our school districts, 79 out of 80 reporting the final numbers that we had that there were approximately 150,000 households that have students without internet access and also districts estimate they need approximately 160,000 devices in order to have our children well equip for distance learning, so those numbers are huge," Spearman said.
Because of the digital divide, making sure students are staying up to date with their education is also a concern.
"Trying find ways to diagnose students, so we can align instruction to what students don't know versus what they should know, Task Force Member Patrick Kelly said. "We want to make sure we are addressing students with where they are and what they need."
The task force also discussed mental health programs for educators and students as well as a technology grant.
To watch the entire meeting, click here.