More Midlands schools start this week on virtual schedule due to COVID. What to know

Two more schools in Lexington 2 are empty Monday morning, as more students switch to a virtual learning format because of a rise in COVID-19 cases.

Students at Northside and Pine Ridge middle schools are doing their school work from home for the next two weeks, the latest Midlands schools to shift instruction because of the sharp increase in coronavirus cases and students taken out of school as a precaution at the beginning of the school year.

Both schools are tentatively scheduled to reopen their campuses on Friday, Sept. 10.

The two schools join Cayce Elementary in the virtual program. Students at Cayce started their two-week remote learning period on Friday after a similar rise in the number of students and staff affected by the virus.

As of Friday, Northside Middle School had 18 positive student COVID-19 cases, and Pine Ridge Middle had nine, according to Lexington 2’s online COVID-19 dashboard. Five staff members at Northside and three at Pine Ridge had also tested positive.

The announcement comes as data shows younger students are bearing the brunt of the latest coronavirus spike. Children under the age of 12 are currently unable to get vaccinated against the disease.

On Friday, the neighboring Lexington 1 school district switched students at Centerville Elementary School in Gilbert to remote learning because 41% of the student body had tested positive or was otherwise excluded from school. Lexington 1 Superintendent Greg Little said last week the district has already seen more positive cases than any single week of the 2020-21 school year.

Across the river from Lexington 2, the city of Columbia and Richland County have both mandated that elementary and middle school students and faculty wear masks to reduce the spread of the virus, despite the S.C. Legislature acting this year to prohibit face mask mandates. That action is being challenged in court.

This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 10:06 AM.

Bristow Marchant

The State

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Bristow Marchant covers local government, schools and community in Lexington County for The State. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007. He has almost 20 years of experience covering South Carolina at the Clinton Chronicle, Sumter Item and Rock Hill Herald. He joined The State in 2016. Bristow has won numerous awards, most recently the S.C. Press Association’s 2024 education reporting award.  Support my work with a digital subscription