Cardinal Newman school shifts to virtual-only classes as coronavirus cases increase

A private school in Richland County is transitioning to online-only classes because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That school is Cardinal Newman, one of the many private schools throughout the state that prided themselves on beginning the school year offering face-to-face classes.

Starting Thursday, all classes were held virtually, according to a letter Cardinal Newman Principal Rob Loia sent to parents. The virtual-only education will continue until Dec. 18, which is the end of the quarter, according to a news release. All extra-curricular activities between now and Dec. 18 are canceled.

The move comes as a second employee at the school tested positive for coronavirus.

“After contact-tracing and contacting (S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control), we determined that other students and staff members would need to quarantine,” Loia said in the release.

This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 1:10 PM.