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Some Fort Mill students will have choice between in-person or virtual learning

FORT MILL, S.C. — Starting on Friday, almost 5,000 students at Fort Mill’s three high schools will have a decision to make. They can choose to come back to campus five days a week next semester or do virtual learning, full-time for the rest of the school year.

Joe Burke is spokesman with the Fort Mill School District.

“We have a call going out tonight letting them know it’s coming, but we’ll have an email going out tomorrow morning that will have the information on how they sign in, and declare their intent for the next semester,” Burke said.

To make a second semester of in-person learning possible, a lot has to come together.

COVID-19 infection rates have to be lower countywide. That means York County will have to be listed as having a medium or low rate of spread, not a high rate.

The district has ordered thousands of desk shields, to try and cut the risk of spread. Bus routes and cafeteria service could change as well, depending on the number of students that return. Right now, elementary students in Fort Mill eat breakfast and lunch in their classrooms. Older students use school cafeterias, but there are multiple lunch hours, so students can spread out.

About 30% of students are entirely learning virtually at home. Elementary and middle school students who opted for 100% virtual have committed for the entire school year. However, high school students can choose to return to campus in January.

Making it safe and continuing social distancing will be a big part of that plan. Burke said desk shields will help dramatically.

“If we’re able to get the desk shields put in the way that they’re supposed to, it actually allows for the decreasing of social distancing from six to three feet,” he said. “That will allow more students to be in a classroom. The district is also getting input from teachers on proposals for a return to full-time school.”

As of Thursday, there were only 15 positive COVID-19 cases in the entire Fort Mill School District.

High school students will have two weeks, until Nov. 6, to declare their intention to return to 5-day in-person learning, or remain in the virtual academy. The new semester starts on Jan. 26.