Aiken County’s Board of Education adopted a proposal from the superintendent designed to help teachers educate both students in classrooms and the roughly 20% currently quarantined due to COVID-19.
This came during the regular meeting on Sept. 14.
Before hearing details of the dual modality plan, the meeting began with several citizens questioning the numbers of students quarantined and the length of time of quarantines. The district currently has 4,725 students and 123 employees quarantined.
MORE: Aiken County School Officials Ask Legislators for Local Control
Jason Whinghter asked, “Are you keeping any data on the number of Aiken County students sent home for quarantine due to possible exposure and how many ended up with COVID positive?”
Superintendent King Laurence said they are keeping data on quarantined students and reporting to the South Carolina Department of Environmental Control every week. Of the quarantined students, 127 of them have ended up testing positive. That’s just under 2%. Of the staff, about 14% who have been quarantined have ended up testing positive.
Whinghter suggested the district look at how Clemson University is dealing with COVID-19.
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“They test every student every week, a process they implemented last year because they recognized the importance of in-person learning,” he said. “Their process has been very successful in limiting the number of students in quarantine due to possible exposure.”
During DHEC’s weekly COVID-19 briefing from DHEC, state epidemiologist Dr. Jane Kelly said colleges and universities are a very different situation than K-through-12 schools.
“K-through-12 schools, those kids are together all day long and potential exposure times are greater,” she said. “Many colleges and universities either require vaccination or require frequent testing if you’re not vaccinated so I think it is reasonable for colleges and universities to have a different quarantine policy from K-through-12 schools.”
DHEC just announced it has updated the online reporting tool for COVID-19 cases among students and staff. The dashboard will use reports received directly from schools including the number of students and school staff who are isolated – meaning they are a positive COVID-19 case – and the number who are quarantined – meaning they are close contacts. The cumulative number of individuals quarantined and isolated since the start of the 2021-2022 school year will also be included.
The current numbers were cited by several parents who complained about the quarantines.
John Pettigrew said, looking at the latest report, the quarantine policy does not seem to be consistently applied resulting in wide discrepancies.
“Aiken High School for example had 10 positive cases and 500 quarantined. That’s a 50 to one ratio. Midland Valley had five positive cases with 402 quarantined. That’s 80 people quarantined for every one with the virus. But look at North Augusta. They had 14 positive cases, 200 quarantined. That’s only a 19 to one ratio,” he said.
Laurence explained those quarantined are not completely the result of the 209 students who are currently positive cases.
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“Because the quarantine is right now between 10 and 14 days, there’s a carryover from the previous week,” he explained.
Don Quigley said he has four grandchildren attending Aiken County Schools. Two have been quarantined although neither showed virus symptoms.
“Our children are sent home for a two-week quarantine when most don’t even have any symptoms,” he said. “Just like my grandson who was quarantined for three two-week periods in 2020 and again in 2021, and my granddaughter recently, and neither ever showed any symptoms. Stop the fear-porn, stop sending healthy children home, stop canceling sporting events.”
MORE: Aiken School District Gathering Feedback on COVID-19 Safety in Schools
Andrew McCaskill said the quarantine has been a nightmare.
“At Aiken High, it seems incredulous we have this many kids on quarantine,” said McCaskill. “When we look at COVID, it seems to be made into bigger, scarier disease than what it is. When we look at the deaths, that median age is 62. The median age in Aiken County is 39. The death rate is just simply emotional nonsense. It’s not happening.”
Earlier this month, Aiken County schools lost two students, 9-year-old Ethan Blue and 15-year-old Emily Brosnahan, and secretary-bookkeeper Gisele Moreland to COVID-19. Additionally, Angela Dicks, a special education aide at Aiken Elementary, and Candace Beasley, who teaches first grade at Clearwater Elementary, lost their husbands. Beasley was married to North Augusta Department of Public Safety Officer Dustin Beasley, who died Aug. 30.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
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