Some SC Midlands schools will use virtual-only classes in days before Thanksgiving

At least two S.C Midlands school districts will use virtual-only classes the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving break to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Those districts are Lexington 1 and Richland 2, each district announced Tuesday.

“We believe that doing this will help us keep you and your families much safer over the breaks,” Lexington 1 Superintendent Gregory Little said in a news release.

The two, virtual-only days will give Lexington 1 more time to do contact tracing and let students or employees know whether they have been exposed to COVID-19 before the break, the release said.

“We believe that this will help families know before they gather over the holidays, if they could inadvertently put some of their family members at risk and helps us prevent a situation where a student or staff member gathers with family and friends for a holiday meal without knowing they could be exposing them to the virus,” Little said.

Lexington 1 will also use virtual-only classes on Dec. 21 and 22 before winter break for the same reason, according to the release. Richland 2 has not decided whether it will use virtual-only days on the days leading up to winter break, said district spokeswoman Libby Roof.

As for Richland 2 — which recently began phasing in in-person classes — the district is switching to virtual-only classes next Monday and Tuesday because many students and employees had to be quarantined and also to conduct conduct tracing, according to the district’s website.

Richland 1 will continue on hybrid classes for the time being, district spokeswoman Karen York said in an email.

This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 2:16 PM.