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School responses in South Carolina to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

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Responses by state

As students returned to school for the 2021-2022 school year, states set a variety of policies on education and the COVID-19 pandemic, including how schools should open to in-person instruction and whether students and staff would be required to wear masks. By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, about 66% of students nationwide were in states that left closure decisions to schools or districts, 33% were in states with state-ordered in-person instruction, and 1% were in states with state-ordered regional school closures.[1][2] All 50 states closed schools to in-person instruction at some point during the 2019-2020 school year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

This article summarizes responses to the coronavirus in South Carolina schools in the academic years ending in 2020, 2021, and 2022. You will find:


Ballotpedia’s coverage of COVID-19 includes how federal, state, and local governments are responding, and how those responses are influencing election rules and operations, political campaigns, the economy, schools, and more.

This page is updated monthly, but our email is always open. We encourage you to share updates from local officials, policymakers, and campaigns in your community at editor@ballotpedia.org.


Timeline by school year

Below is a list of major events involving schools in South Carolina during the coronavirus pandemic between 2019 and 2022, including school closings and openings, mask requirements, and the release of statewide operating guidance. Know of something we missed? Click here to email us and let us know.

2021-2022 school year

  • Sept. 28, 2021: U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis, who was appointed to the court by former President Barack Obama (D), ruled South Carolina could not enforce its school mask requirement ban because it prevented students with disabilities from attending public schools.[3]
  • Sept. 9, 2021: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio, a school data aggregator, reported thirty-eight in-person schooling disruptions in South Carolina.[4][5]
  • Sept. 2, 2021: The South Carolina Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the state’s school mask requirement ban brought by the City of Columbia. In the opinion, the court found that the mask requirement ban, which was established in an amendment to the state’s budget, was related to budgetary concerns and therefore did not violate a South Carolina rule requiring state laws address a single primary subject.[6]
  • Aug. 26, 2021: The South Carolina Department of Education announced masks would be required on school buses, in accordance with CDC guidance, starting Aug. 30.[7]
  • April 26, 2021: Gov. Henry McMaster (R) signed a law requiring that districts offer full-time, in-person instruction five days a week for the 2021-2022 school year on April 22. The legislature passed the requirement on April 21.[8]


2020-2021 school year

  • June 29, 2021: At the end of the school year, Burbio reported all schools were in-person in South Carolina .[9][10]
  • April 26, 2021: South Carolina schools had to start offering in-person instruction five days a week. Gov. Henry McMaster (R) signed the requirement into law on April 22. The legislature passed the requirement on April 21.[8]
  • Sept. 10, 2020: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio reported about half of schools were in-person in South Carolina .[11][12]
  • July 31, 2020: South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Mitchell Spearman announced masks would be required in South Carolina public school facilities for staff and students in grades 2-12.[13]
  • June 22, 2020: Spearman released recommendations on reopening schools in the state. The recommendations included required face coverings for all students and staff, social distancing protocols, one-way hallways, staggered arrivals and dismissals, and buses operating at 50 percent capacity.[14]


2019-2020 school year

  • April 22, 2020: Gov. Henry McMaster (R) announced that schools would not reopen for in-person instruction for the remainder of the academic year. Prior to the announcement, schools were closed through April 30.[15]
  • March 24, 2020: McMaster announced that the statewide school closure, scheduled to end March 30, was extended to April 30.[16]
  • March 15, 2020: McMaster announced the closing of all K-12 schools in the state for two weeks, effective immediately, with the possibility for schools in counties without any cases of coronavirus to remain open.[17]

Mask and vaccine requirements in the 2021-2022 school year

Mask requirements in schools

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

As of August 1, 2022, no states had school mask requirements in effect. Forty-two states left mask requirements in schools up to local authorities. Seven states banned school mask requirements.

The table below shows statewide school mask requirement laws and orders in states with school mask requirements or school mask requirement bans in place at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

Mask requirement orders
State Ban or requirement? Type of order Date lifted or altered
Arizona Ban Legislative action N/A
Arkansas Ban Legislative action Sept. 30, 2021 - Suspended by court action
California Requirement California Department of Public Health order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Connecticut Requirement Executive order Feb. 28, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Delaware Requirement Executive order March 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Florida Ban Executive order N/A[18]
Georgia Ban Legislative action N/A
Hawaii Requirement Executive order Aug. 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Illinois Requirement Illinois Department of Public Health order Feb. 4, 2022 - Suspended by court action[19]
Iowa Ban Legislative action May 16, 2022 - Reinstated by court action[20]
Kentucky Requirement Kentucky Board of Education order Sept. 9, 2021 - Suspended by state law
Louisiana Requirement Executive order Feb. 16, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[21]
Maryland Requirement Maryland State Board of Education order March 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[22]
Massachusetts Requirement Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education order Feb. 28, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[23]
Nevada Requirement Executive order Feb. 10, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New Jersey Requirement Executive order March 7, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New Mexico Requirement New Mexico Public Education Department order Feb. 17, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New York Requirement Executive order March 3, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Oklahoma Ban Executive order N/A
Oregon Requirement Oregon Health Authority and Department of Education order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Pennsylvania Requirement Pennsylvania Department of Health order Dec. 10, 2021 - Suspended by court action
Rhode Island Requirement Executive order March 4, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
South Carolina Ban Legislative action Sept. 28, 2021 - Temporarily suspended by court action
Tennessee Ban Executive order Dec. 10, 2021 - Suspended by court action
Texas Ban Executive order N/A[24]
Utah Ban Legislative action N/A
Virginia Ban Legislative action N/A
Washington Requirement Washington State Department of Public Health order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action

School mask requirements over time

School mask bans over time


Teacher and school employee vaccine requirements

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

Seven states had issued a statewide requirement for K-12 teachers and staff to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or receive regular coronavirus testing during the 2021-2022 school year. The table below shows teacher and staff vaccine requirement laws and orders in states that issued such policies during the 2021-2022 school year.

Vaccine requirement orders
State Testing instead of vaccination allowed? Type of order Date effective
California Yes California Department of Public Health order Oct. 15, 2021
Connecticut No Executive order Sept. 27, 2021
Delaware Yes Executive order Nov. 1, 2021
Illinois Yes Executive order Issued: Sept. 19, 2021
Suspended by court action on Feb. 4, 2022
New Jersey Yes Executive order Oct. 18, 2021
New York Yes Executive order Sept. 19, 2021
Oregon No Executive order Oct. 18, 2021
Washington No Executive order Oct. 18, 2021


Student vaccine requirements

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

On Oct. 1, 2021, California was the first state to announce a vaccine requirement for eligible students. Louisiana also announced a vaccine requirement for eligible students on Dec. 14, but then announced the state would be removing the coronavirus vaccine from the list of required immunizations in schools on May 18, 2022.

School reopenings and closures (2020-2021 academic year)

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2020-2021 academic year

Initial school year operating plan

See also: Documenting America's Path to Recovery: July 31, 2020

South Carolina released an initial operating plan for the 2020-2021 school year on June 22, 2020. An analysis of this plan appeared in our Documenting America's Path to Recovery newsletter on July 31. The sections below include an analysis of the plan, the details of the plan, and reactions from officials to the plan.

Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman's AcceleratED task force released recommendations for reopening schools on June 22. School districts are responsible for creating reopening plans based on these recommendations and in consultation with local public health officials.

On March 15, Gov. Henry McMaster (R) closed schools statewide for two weeks. On March 24, McMaster extended the closure through April 30. The closure was made permanent for the rest of the school year on April 22.

South Carolina does not have a statewide date for public schools to reopen. According to EdWeek, public schools in South Carolina may start no earlier than the third Monday in August (Aug. 17 this year), with the exact date varying by district.

Context

South Carolina is a Republican trifecta. The governor is a Republican, and Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The state has been a Republican trifecta since 2003.

The following tables show public education statistics in South Carolina, including a rank comparing it to the other 49 states. Rank one is the highest number of each figure, rank 50 is the lowest. All data comes from the Common Core of Data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics.

South Carolina school metrics
Category Figure Rank
Per pupil spending (16-17) $12,605 30
Number of students (18-19) 780,804 23
Number of teachers (Fall 2016) 50,789 22
Number of public schools (18-19) 1,270 29
Student:teacher ratio (18-19) 14.8 27
Percent qualifying for free/reduced lunch (16-17) 67.0% 3


South Carolina school revenue
Category Figure Rank
Total revenue $8,891,519,000 25
Federal revenue percent 9.6% 20
State revenue percent 47.2% 26
Local revenue percent 43.2% 22

Details

District reopening plans
Districts are responsible for developing their own specific reopening plans in accordance with the AcceleratED recommendations and in consultation with local public health officials. The Department of Education (DOE) must approve all district plans. Those plans are posted publicly on the DOE website.

In-person, hybrid, and online learning
On July 14, McMaster said he would require all district plans to give parents the option to send students to school five days a week in addition to a virtual education option. McMaster instructed Spearman’s department not to approve plans that do not provide both options.

A spokesman for Spearman said she disagreed with McMaster’s requirement for the in-person education option. “School leaders, in consultation with public health experts, are best positioned to determine how in-person operations should be carried out to fit the needs of their local communities. I remain committed to supporting them in this endeavor and will only approve those plans that offer high quality options and keep safety as their top priority,” she said.

On July 27, Spearman approved the first six district reopening plans. Four of them included a five-day in-person learning option for at least some students.

Mask requirements
The task force recommendations defer to districts on mask requirements.

“ Recommendations for the use of masks and other PPE should be determined by districts in accordance with the latest guidance from DHEC and/or the CDC. The latest DHEC guidance is attached to this report as Appendix B, but districts should review the most recent guidance released closer to the start of school.[25] ”

July 31, Spearman announced that all staff and students in grades 2-12 would be required to wear masks in public school facilities.

In-person health recommendations and requirements
The task force recommended that schools consider the following when offering a fully in-person learning option:

  • Staggered class dismissal to prevent all students in the hallways simultaneously;
  • Redesigning student arrival in the morning to prevent congregations of large groups. This may include a necessity for students to report directly to classrooms rather than meeting in common spaces;
  • Scheduling restroom breaks;
  • If possible, schools should consider scheduling “cohorts” of students with common courses so teachers, rather than students, rotate between classes;
  • As long as health guidelines recommend maintaining distance between individuals, schools should seek to minimize or eliminate large group gatherings such as assemblies, pep rallies, spirit nights, or other similar activities; and
  • In addition to focusing on transitions within a school, districts should seek to minimize student transitions beyond the school during the instructional day. This will require a careful review of field studies and other activities requiring student travel. This includes developing procedures to allow high school students opportunities to safely engage in career center opportunities if available. Whenever possible, schools should seek to use virtual activities and experiences to reduce the necessity for students to travel off campus during the school day. Schools should also make sure to provide an equal level of access to off-campus opportunities for curricular activities as is provided for co-curricular activities.

The task force also issued the following recommendation for high schools:

“ When possible, high schools should seek to provide upperclassmen with late arrival or early dismissal in place of study hall periods. Schools should still place priority on building full student schedules for students that do not have the 24 credits required to graduate and for students requiring additional course work to achieve CTE completer status. However, for students that have met these requirements, schools should seek to either provide late arrival or early dismissal when possible. For students desiring to take courses beyond the 24 credits required for graduation, schools should consider VirtualSC when it provides a desired course. However, this recommendation should not be construed as a reason to reduce student access to taking multiple years and credits of an academic program such as performing arts, CTE, etc.[25] ”

Transportation and busing requirements and restrictions
On July 27, Spearman issued an order requiring students and staff on state-owned school buses to wear masks at all times. She said buses will be able to operate at 67% capacity with the mask mandate.

Initial task force recommendations mentioned guidelines from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control that set a 50% capacity limit for school buses.

Reactions

  • SC for Ed, a teacher’s union, issued a statement in support of Spearman and in opposition to McMaster’s in-person option requirement. “We ask that all educators contact Superintendent Spearman to encourage her to continue to allow districts to use DHEC guidance to make plans that prioritize student and staff safety, and to contact their local school boards, and their elected representatives in the legislature to demand that districts be allowed the flexibility to temporarily eliminate face-to-face instruction until disease activity in the school area is within safe parameters as defined by the DHEC.”

Map of school closures

The map below shows the status of school reopenings and closures at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year.

As of July 8, 2021, the status of school closures and reopenings was as follows:

  • Two states (Delaware, Hawaii) and Washington, D.C. had state-ordered regional school closures, required closures for certain grade levels, or allowed hybrid instruction only.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 410,896 students (0.81% of students nationwide)
  • Thirteen states had state-ordered in-person instruction.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 15,697,460 students (30.96% of students nationwide)
  • One state (Arizona) had state-ordered in-person instruction for certain grades.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 1,152,586 students (2.27% of students nationwide)
  • Thirty-four states left decisions to schools or districts.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 33,449,499 students (65.96% of students nationwide)



School reopenings and closures (2019-2020 academic year)

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2019-2020 academic year


The map below shows the status of school reopenings and closures at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year.

  • States closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year: 48
  • Number of public school students in states closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year: 50,261,464


The chart below shows the first date schools in a state were closed to in-person instruction during the 2019-2020 academic year, divided by the political party of the governor.

School responses by state

To read about school responses to the coronavirus pandemic in others states, click one of the following links below:

General resources

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Number of operating public schools and districts, student membership, teachers, and pupil/teacher ratio, by state or jurisdiction: School year 2019–20," accessed September 10, 2021
  2. ↑ EducationWeek, "Map: Where Were Schools Required to Be Open for the 2020-21 School Year?," June 14, 2021
  3. ↑ The Sumter Item, "Federal judge overturns South Carolina school mask mandate ban," September 30, 2021
  4. ↑ To read more about Burbio's school disruption tracking, click here
  5. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed August 27, 2021
  6. ↑ The Post and Courier, "SC Supreme Court rejects Columbia’s COVID mask mandate in schools," September 2, 2021
  7. ↑ Fox Carolina, "SC Dept. of Ed. reinstates mask mandate on school buses," August 26, 2021
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Associated Press, "SC governor signs 5-day-a-week in-person class measure," accessed April 28, 2021
  9. ↑ Burbio rated South Carolina's in-person index at 100. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  10. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 8, 2021
  11. ↑ Burbio rated South Carolina's in-person index between 40-60. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  12. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 8, 2021
  13. ↑ WYFF, "Masks will now be required for everyone inside a public school facility in South Carolina," July 31, 2020
  14. ↑ WLTX, "Final plan for reopening South Carolina schools released," June 22, 2020
  15. ↑ The NewBerry Observer, "Public schools to remain closed for school year," April 22, 2020
  16. ↑ WISTV, "S.C. governor closes public K-12 schools through April 30," March 24, 2020
  17. ↑ WBTV, "Official: S.C. Governor to announce closure of all schools due to coronavirus outbreak," March 15, 2020
  18. ↑ On Sept. 2, 2021 the ban was temporarily suspended by court action. An appeals court upheld the ban on Sept. 10.
  19. ↑ Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) ended the statewide school mask requirement on Feb. 28, 2022.
  20. ↑ On Sept. 13, 2021 the ban was temporarily suspended by court action for all schools. On Jan. 25, 2022, the ban was partially reinstated.
  21. ↑ Oct. 26, 2021 - School districts could be exempt from the school mask requirement if they followed CDC quarantine guidance
  22. ↑ Dec. 7, 2021 - School districts could be exempt from the school mask requirement if they met one of the three following criteria: 1) the county vaccination rate was 80% or higher, 2) 80% of school staff and students were vaccinated, or 3) COVID-19 transmission in the county was considered moderate or low for 14 straight days.
  23. ↑ Oct. 1 - Schools could become exempt from the school mask requirement when at least 80% of students were vaccinated
  24. ↑ On Nov. 10, 2021 the ban was suspended by court action. An appeals court upheld the ban on Dec. 1.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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