Members of the Aiken County Board of Education approved sending a resolution to the state legislature asking it return control to local districts. The resolution was first proposed during a special meeting on Sept. 7.
The vote followed an executive session near the end of a lengthy meeting on Sept. 14. Specifically, the resolution calls for the repeal of the proviso in the 2021-2022 state budget that prohibits districts from enacting a mask mandate or risk a lose of state funds.
In the meeting, Superintendent King Laurence outlined a proposal to meet the needs of students in quarantine. Currently the district has 4,725 students — nearly 20% of students — and 123 employees quarantined.
Laurence outlined a form of dual modality, a way for teachers to share in-person instruction or record the instruction for quarantined students. Keeping with another proviso from the state legislature, teachers engaged in dual modality will receive an extra stipend.
“At the most basic level, my initial expectation is teachers will use Microsoft Teams to allow isolated and quarantined students access to direct instruction,” Laurence said. “When I say direct instruction, that will look very different depending on the grade level, the course and the comfort level of the teacher.”
He said teachers would not be expected to plan separate lessons for in-class and remote students or be expected to juggle what is happening with students in the classroom and the students who are at home, citing it an unreasonable request of teachers.
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District 4 representative Patricia Hanks said in the past two days, she and other board members have received hundreds of emails from teachers.
“The consistency across the board from the teachers were adjectives such as we are drowning; we are overwhelmed; we are exhausted. We are worn out and our plates are full,” said Hanks.
District 2 member Jason Crane said, “I heard from zero teachers that were in favor of it. Mostly at the elementary level, but I did hear from secondary as well.”
Board President John Bradley said he does not know what teachers really want the board to do.
MORE: Aiken School District Gathering Feedback on COVID-19 Safety in Schools
“This came up and it touched off a barrage of people who sent emails that indicated they didn’t want to do it for one reason or another,” said Bradley. “Mostly, because it was unrealistic to demand more and more from them. I can’t really see how this makes that demand.”
Ultimately, the board voted unanimously to approve the plan proposed by the superintendent for grades four through 12 and pay the teachers a $1,250 supplement. The district will have a week of early dismissals from Sept. 27 through Oct. 1 to train teachers on the equipment needed. The plan will take effect Oct. 4.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
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