COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Senate unanimously passed a proposal that would require all schools to provide in-person classes five days a week starting as soon as April 12.
The proposal passed Wednesday would also require schools provide five day a week classes next school year too.
“There is significant support across party lines to get children back in school as soon as possible. All of us recognize the significant loss of the children not being in school," said Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield.
The proposal would also ban districts from making teachers give instruction both virtually and in person unless there are “extreme and unavoidable circumstances” and the district would then have to pay the teacher more.
Fifty-four of South Carolina's 79 traditional school districts are back to five days of in-person classes. All but six districts plan to offer them by the April 12 deadline in the proposal, according to the state Education Department.
Only the two school districts in Hampton County have no plans to return students full time to the classroom, the agency said.
