Survey: Some SC teachers plan to quit, many unhappy with reopening plans

FORT MILL, S.C. — Days before hundreds, possibly thousands of South Carolina public school teachers will “Stand Up and Step Out” in protest, results from a recent survey have revealed troubling responses.

SC for Ed, a teachers' organization, surveyed 4,000 educators and found that 27% plan to leave their jobs. Many are upset about the state’s failure to give raises and how schools reopened amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To deal with salaries being frozen and funding issues … it’s exhausting, and a lot of teachers are saying, ‘Enough is enough,’” said Fort Mill High School teacher Ali Tracy-McHenry.

Although the state department told Channel 9 in a statement that they’ve spent millions on Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for teachers and other school workers, that was another area of concern revealed in the survey.

In the last two weeks, a 28-year-old teacher, a school bus driver and a volunteer football coach have all died from COVID-19.

Other survey results showed:

• 71% ranked the state’s reopening plan a 1 or 2 on a scale of 1-5
• 75% are teaching in-person and virtual classes at the same time
• 39% responded that they did not have the required PPE

The protest is scheduled to happen on Wednesday.

SC teachers plan to ‘step out’ of the classroom in protest

Cox Media Group