SOUTH CAROLINA — Governor Henry McMaster and South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced today South Carolina’s schools will remain closed for the duration of the month of April.
The statement reads:
“At this time, students, parents, and families should plan for South Carolina’s schools to remain closed through the month of April. Our dedicated teachers and school administrators have done a tremendous job in making it possible for our students to learn at home. We understand that the prospect of schools remaining closed for an extended period of time places stress and strain on parents and children. Rest assured, if there is any way to safely open our schools earlier, we will do that, but schools must remain closed to protect the health and safety of South Carolinians.”
On March 15, McMaster issued Executive Order 2020-09, which closed public schools for students and non-essential employees through March 31. The governor will issue an additional executive order to extend the K-12 school closures through the month of April in the coming days, officials said.
As his previous executive order did, the governor’s executive order will apply to the state’s public colleges, universities, and technical colleges, and encourage those institutions to maintain existing plans to provide instruction through virtual learning.
The issue comes as cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to grow in the Palmetto State with 298 cases diagnosed as of March 23, according to DHEC.
On Monday, the Governor issued Executive Order 2020-13, which gave clarity to law enforcement officials who had asked if they had the ability to disperse crowds. (They do.)
“This weekend, we saw large crowds gathered on beaches, on sandbars, and in parking lots,” said McMaster. “We are facing a dangerous and deadly enemy and this type of behavior is both irresponsible and selfish. Law enforcement asked for clarification as to how this existing law applies during this state of emergency. I have included it in an executive order to make it clear that law enforcement has the ability to disperse groups of people who pose a risk to the public’s safety and to the safety of others.”
He added the order does not apply to private businesses nor to “responsible South Carolinians continuing to make the best out of this situation.”
“And as I said, this is not a shelter-in-place order but another measure aimed at containing the virus by controlling crowds, so that we do not have to shelter in place,” he said.
