ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — Orangeburg County schools will return to class this week, but with an adjusted schedule as the districts and county continues to deal with the impact of recent heavy flooding.
County officials say parts of 132 roads remain closed in Orangeburg County following last Thursday’s rains, leaving many students without a way to get to school.
Late Monday afternoon, Orangeburg County School District announced their reopening plan for the week. Classes will operate on a two-hour delay on Tuesday and Wednesday while there will be a one-hour delay on Thursday and Friday.
Classes had to be cancelled last Thursday, Friday, and then again Monday.
Dr. Shawn Foster, superintendent of the Orangeburg County School District, explained the district’s decision to cancel classes on November 11th was due to the road closures. Foster says safety of students is a priority.
“Obviously, everybody wants kids back in school as quickly as possible," said Foster. "That is our goal, but we want to make sure that that’s done in a safe manner."
The flooding, which affected the western side of Orangeburg County and the city of Orangeburg, caused significant damage.
In addition to road closures, Mellichamp Elementary School experienced minor flooding in its media center.
On Monday, Orangeburg bus drivers took to the roads to assess alternate routes that could allow students to safely return to school.
“Our bus drivers, I want to commend them, they came in today and, in their personal vehicles," said Dr. Foster. "They’re driving their routes to see how to make modifications and or adjustments to bring back information that we will then come back, debrief, and find the best option."
Whittaker Elementary School parent, Shenavia Dailey, expressed her concern about road safety but also discussed the difficulties of balancing work with childcare while schools remain closed.
“I feel like that was a good idea because the roads aren’t safe. A lot of kids ride the bus, my kids ride in cars, but it’s still not safe. It’s like 10 minutes from where I live,” said Dailey. “Working from home, it’s hard to have kids home because you know they don’t like any distractions. So, yeah, it’s pretty rough. I have to get them to quiet down while I’m working from home."
Dr. Foster said that the decision to close schools was not an easy one, given the the fact that faculty needed to be factored into the decision as well.
“But also, substitutes they come from all over the county. It’s not as simple as people’s interpretation of, 'Because the school is there, everyone who works there lives there as well'," said Dr. Foster. "So, a lot of different dynamics come into play that you have to consider."
The school district hopes to return to a normal schedule by Monday, November 18th and in the meantime, all out-of-district field trips have been canceled this week.