OMG - it was blackface

This article in The State explains what happened at Blythewood High School that prompted a two-page press release by Richland 2 School District

Somebody's panties got twisted over a student's posting into blackface.

Does anybody still wonder why racism is alive and well in Richland County, in Columbia, in South Carolina, in The South, in the USA?

The article mentions the school's Spirit Week, which includes wearing of the color-of-the-week as black for freshman. So a freshman wore black, including blackened arms and face.

I hope this student and his parents sue Richland 2 for violation of his First Amendment right of free speech. I can recommend an attorney. The one who beat CNN over the head on behalf of Nick Sandmann. And the ones representing Kyle Rittenhouse, who are suing Joe Biden and his campaign for libel.

Pretty soon the case will be in Richland 2 that they will prohibit using the word "black". You'll be required to say Black.

So much for sensitivity training and cultural awareness. 

The Blythewood principal was quoted in The State as saying, "we will Be The Change". Where have I heaerd that before??? I didn't like it then, either.

What was the kid's social-media post???

Richland 2 issued a press release today, after somebody's nose got out-of-joint over some kid's social media post? Do anyone know what the post was? Sure looks like somebody's feelings got hurt. Or could have.

What in the world could that social-media post have said to cause such an over-kill by Richland 2?

Is this a case of "The beatings will continue until morale improves"?

Said Richland 2:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 30, 2020 

RICHLAND TWO RESPONDS TO SOCIAL MEDIA POST

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Richland Two and Blythewood High administrators were alerted this morning that an inappropriate tweet had been posted by a student in the district and the Blythewood High School’s student government account was tagged in the tweet. The school’s principal took immediate steps to have the post removed and to communicate with the schools’ students, employees and parents. 

The tweet was in connection with the school’s Spirit Week. The school plans special activities during Spirit Week as a way to highlight anticipation for the upcoming Homecoming football game and to create excitement about being a Blythewood Bengal. Today, students were asked to wear colors based on their class: black for Freshmen; navy for Sophomores; white for Juniors; and gold for Seniors. The photos in the tweet were inappropriate and insensitive. They did not support the goal or intent of Spirit Week. 

Superintendent Dr. Baron R. Davis said, “As a district, we acknowledge that the tweet was unacceptable, inappropriate and hurtful. It does not reflect the core values of the district or of Blythewood High School. We are certainly sorry for any hurt or distress the tweet caused, and we will continue to be committed to providing a premier educational experience for our students, staff, parents and community.” 

Helen Grant, Richland Two Chief Diversity and Multicultural Inclusion Officer, has been in consultation with Matt Sherman, Blythewood High School’s principal, since early in the summer about the goal to enhance the culture and climate of the school. 

“Blythewood High is committed to making sure that all students feel valued. The school’s employees and students have been engaged in productive conversations about race and equity and have committed to being the change that needs to happen,” said Grant. 

Under the leadership of the Richland Two Board of Trustees, Richland Two implemented an Equity Policy in August 2019 that makes clear the board’s and district’s commitment to the success of every student and to equity of opportunity and access to programs, services and resources that are critical to student success. 

To accomplish this goal, the district is taking a series of steps including: 

• Using a growth mindset and believing all students are capable of success ### 

• Reviewing policies, procedures and practices to ensure they do not present institutional barriers 

• Recruiting, employing and retaining a high quality diverse staff 

• Offering opportunities for employees to increase their individual cultural competency thereby increasing our collective capacity to serve our diverse student population 

• Providing professional development opportunities for staff in the areas including diversity, inclusion, equity, anti-bias, privilege, microaggressions 

• Affirming and modeling an appreciation for all forms of intelligence and the wide variety of ways students illustrate their mastery of skills and knowledge 

One of the goals set by Superintendent Davis for the 2020-2021 school year is to focus on the social justice and equity needs of our district. The district is participating with the national school superintendent’s association (AASA) in a nationwide Equity In Action Program where the Richland 2 team is receiving specialized training in how to implement change to help ensure that we are being equitable in our work. Additionally, an Equity Focus Group is being formed to identify, prioritize and rectify any areas of concern in the district. 

Davis said, “We are determined to have the courageous conversations about being anti-racist as we continue to reach out to one another in unity. We have been working continuously to make Richland Two a place where all students, staff, parents and community members are valued, included and supported. We strive everyday to uphold our core values of learning, character, community and joy. We take seriously the principle practice of diversity and inclusion in our policies, our goals, our programs and our initiatives.” 

“Changes and improvements have been made but there is still work to be done. Just as our staff needs the professional development and access to resources that will help improve our work, our students also need instruction and access to resources to help them learn acceptance of and sensitivity to people who are different from them,” said Grant. “We will use our student government groups, our clubs and organizations, our character education programs and our classrooms to provide that instruction and those resources.” 

“We are grateful for the support we have received from our community as we continue our journey towards premier education. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of our students and our community. We join with the commitment of the Blythewood High School family to Be The Change,” said Davis.

The sky is falling

The State newspaper published this news today: "The 821 since school began include 570 student cases and 251 employee cases, according to the DHEC database updated Tuesday."

I have written to the reporter and asked him to publish in future articles how many students there are in South Carolina schools and the number of school employees.

The State is terrorizing the public with its constant bombardment of COVID-19 news without providing the big picture.

Richland 2 - seven schools reporting. 27,822 students (as of Day 10 of the school year). Employees? 3,-4,000?

"Less than five" means 1-4.

New student cases (3 schools): 3-12 new cases; 7/27,822=0.025%

New employee cases (5 schools): 5-20 new cases; 12/4000=0.3% 

From The State today (9/29/20)

Richland 2

• Catawba Trail Elementary: Fewer than 5 employee cases
• Forest Lake Elementary: Fewer than 5 employee cases
• L.B. Nelson Elementary: Fewer than 5 student cases
• Muller Road Middle: Fewer than 5 employee cases
• Richland Northeast High: Fewer than 5 student cases
• Spring Valley High: Fewer than 5 student cases and fewer than 5 employee cases
• Windsor Elementary: Fewer than 5 faculty cases

Learn about your candidates

Do you want to learn more about the candidates for the Richland 2 School Board?

The 2020 election is important, because it is an opportunity for voters to put fresh faces on the board. Hopefully, people with business, management and executive experience.

The 2022 race will be even more important, because four seats will be open. At least three current board members should be replaced then.

To see a video-recording of the two-night panel and Q&A with eight of the ten candidates, go to the Facebook page of Gretchen Barron.

VOTE411 Voter Guide appears to be a good place to read the submitted answers by candidates to four questions pertaining to Richland 2 schools. The website does not identify any person or organization behind it. 

The League of Women Voters may be behind the VOTE411 Voter Guide. On the League's website is an image for VOTE411.ORG. I don't know why it doesn't identify itself on the Voter Guide website. 

The League office in Columbia doesn't return phone calls. I left a message that I'd like to suggest a question for any candidate forum that they sponsor. 

If you know of additional sites for voter information in this race, please post them in the Comment section below.

Oct. 20 6:00PM the League and the Richland 2 Teachers Forum will host a candidates' forum at R2i2. Watch for a possible location change. The forum could be changed to virtual.

If a candidate sends me promotional information or I stumble across it, I'll publish it. 

Maryann Wright, Candidate:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5GpF_UOh0Q

"Until It's Safe" means Never

How many times during school board meetings recently have you heard "until it's safe"?

Administration and the Board don't want to re-open schools because it's not safe.

Is it safe to get out of bed in the morning? Safe to step out of the house? To wait at the bus stop? To ride a school bus? You know, no seat belts. No shoulder harness. No airbags. No drug-testing of the drivers every morning. No checking of the driver's checklist to be sure the bus is safe.

Watch this Fireside Chat with Dennis Prager.  I credit Mr. Prager for that line - 

"Until It's Safe Means Never"

Richland 2 and COVID-19

The State newspaper (online) continues to report the number of positive COVID-19 for schools, but it still fails to provide a context. Here's what it has to say today:

Richland 2

• Catawba Trail Elementary: Fewer than 5 employee cases
• Forest Lake Elementary: Fewer than 5 employee cases
• L.B. Nelson Elementary: Fewer than 5 student cases
• Muller Road Middle: Fewer than 5 employee cases
• Richland Northeast High: Fewer than 5 student cases
• Spring Valley High: Fewer than 5 student cases and fewer than 5 employee cases
• Windsor Elementary: Fewer than 5 employee cases

"Fewer than 5" could mean 1, 2, 3 or 4. At least one; not more than four.

So, the Richland 2 District night have 3-12 student cases and 5-20 employee cases.

Where The State fails is when it does not provide a frame of reference by including total number of students in the State of South Carolina and the total number of school employees in the categories covered.

Richland 2 had 27,822 students on Day 10, according to the superintendent's report to the Board on September 22.

With "only" 3-12 student cases, why aren't kids back in school?

Remember, not so long ago (before the superintendent himself was diagnosed positive), when the board was told there were NO cases in Richland 2?

Although DHEC doesn't want to break down exact numbers in the "Fewer than 5" group, Richland 2 certainly could. How would parents feel, if they learned that the real number was "1" at each school?

Public Participation at School Board Meetings

The District has updated information on its website about Public Participation at board meetings. Click here for the whole scoop.

When the agenda for the next board meeting is published on the Friday before the meeting, the window opens ("activates", the District calls it) for written comments. The window closes at 1:00PM on the day of the board meeting.

Submit your written comments on the webform on the Board's Public Participation webpage. The webform will magically appear when the page "activates". You'll be asked to include your name and contact information.

When your comment is read to the board, your name will be read with it (but not your contact information).

The letters are shown to the public as Mrs. Roof reads them. She is a fantastic reader. She is accurate, and she is also a very fast reader. If you have any trouble understanding her or keeping up with the pace, be sure to drop her a note at LRoof@richland2.org

Some of the letters were long. It is not possible to judge the interest of the board members, because their faces are not shown while letters are being read. I guess some might wonder whether all of them are really listening.

Do you have an opinion about whether schools should re-open for in-person education?

Are your special needs or young children falling behind because of virtual learning?

Write and submit your messages on the Friday before the next board meeting (or not later than the day of the meeting, Tuesday, 1:00PM). Contact your network, neighbors, friends, other parents. Tell them to write.

Mrs. Roof read 52 comments on September 22. Was that a lot? As of Day 10 of this school year, there are 27,822 students in Richland 2. If there are 12,000 active parents, 52 letters represents 0.43%. But many letters were from teachers, some of whom are probably parents of Richland 2 students.

Do you even watch the Zoom school board meetings? On Tuesday about 200 viewers did. That's 200 out of 27,822 students and 12,000 parents and 3,000+ employees.

Was anyone else brave enough to watch the whole meeting from 5:30PM until 8:08PM? Not sure "brave" is the right word.

Who will explain to me?

Who can explain to me why Richland 2 School Board does not have two illegitimate members; i.e., two are not legal members of the board?

This is what the South Carolina law says about taking the oath of office and entering upon official responsibilities. Let's start here:

South Carolina Code of Laws Section 8-13-1110. 

SECTION 8-13-1110. Persons required to file statement of economic interests.

(A) No public official, regardless of compensation, and no public member or public employee as designated in subsection (B) may take the oath of office or enter upon his official responsibilities unless he has filed a statement of economic interests in accordance with the provisions of this chapter with the appropriate supervisory office. If a public official, public member, or public employee referred to in this section has no economic interests to disclose, he shall nevertheless file a statement of inactivity to that effect with the appropriate supervisory office. All disclosure statements are matters of public record open to inspection upon request.

(B) Each of the following public officials, public members, and public employees must file a statement of economic interests with the appropriate supervisory office, unless otherwise provided:

(1) a person appointed to fill the unexpired term of an elective office; 

(2)-(7) omitted

(8) a school district board member and a county board of education member;

To simply (emphasis added), 

(A) No public official, regardless of compensation, and no public member or public employee as designated in subsection (B) may take the oath of office or enter upon his official responsibilities unless he has filed a statement of economic interests in accordance with the provisions of this chapter with the appropriate supervisory office. If a public official, public member, or public employee referred to in this section has no economic interests to disclose, he shall nevertheless file a statement of inactivity to that effect with the appropriate supervisory office. All disclosure statements are matters of public record open to inspection upon request.

11/13/2019 McKie and Holmes took the oath of office.

12/4/2019 McKie and Holmes filed their statements of economic interests

Therefore, they took the oath of office illegally.

To me, it's black and white. Cut and dried. First, you file the statement of economic interests; then you take the oatch of office; then you enter upon official responsibilities. That's not what they did.

A candidate becomes "qualified" for office by winning the election. But that candidate is not "eligible" to take the oath of office unless he (or she) has filed the statement of economic interests.

If you take the oath of office before you are eligible to do so, then you are just practicing. Any oath taken before one is eligible to take it is invalid.

Is there anyone who thinks an elected person can legally become an official by taking the oath of office and then, three weeks later, filing the statement of economic interests.

Shouldn't the elected person have the taken the oath after filing the required statement?

The only way you can become a legitimate member of the school board is to take the oath after filing the required statement. 

Another South Carolina law says you have to take the oath before assuming office. This must mean, Take the oath legally.

So, if one has never taken the oath of office legally, then the person cannot assume office. The public body - here, the Richland 2 School Board - should not be allowing two women to be seated at the Board, because they have never legally taken the oath of office. Why is the District allowing this? Why have the five legal Board members allowed this for more than 18 months.

What laws are being violated?

Section 8-13-1110(A) (above). Holmes and McKie were elected on 11/6/2019 and took the oath of office (illegally) on 11/13/2019. But they had not filed their statements of economic interests. They filed those statements on 12/4/2019, which is the earliest date on which they could legally take the oath of office.

Section 8-3-10. "It shall be unlawful for any person to assume the duties of any public office until he has taken the oath provided by the Constitution and been regularly commissioned by the Governor."

McKie and Holmes have never taken the oath of office legally.

Section 15-63-60 Usurping public office - any person [who] shall usurp, intrude into, or unlawfully hold or exercise any public office

Section 59-19-315. Beginning of term of office. "The term of office of every elected trustee of a school district must commence one week following the certification of his election."

Keyword: must. The election was certified on 11/9/2019. One week after the certification was 11/16/2019. McKie and Holmes attended and participated in the Board Meeting on 11/13/2019, three days before the election was certified. Board Policy BBB reflects this law.

Now, am I wrote to believe that they are not legal board members?

Introducing Deon Jacobs, candidate

The election for the three open seats on the school board is right around the corner. While the General Election (date) is November 3, 2020, early voting starts October 5th or 7th, depending on where you vote. 

A candidates' forum is scheduled for October 20th at R2i2. More information to follow.

If you are going to vote Absentee by mail, request your ballot now and then follow your request and return at www.SCVotes.org

Here is Deon Jacobs' campaign flyer.  

SC for Ed plans another walk-out

The State newspaper revealed on September 22, 2020: "And SC for Ed, a grassroots teacher advocacy group, is planning a Stand Up and Step Out day, encouraging its members to step out of their classrooms and take a personal day to call for step increases."

The Stand-Up link goes to a Facebook page. Since Facebook is mostly a waste of my time, I'm unwilling to unlock my deactivated account to try to read any message there. It's probably within a page only available to teachers, as much of the SC for Ed material was when I last looked.

The Richland 2 School Board should hop on this right away and direct the Superintendent to inform staff that they risk discipline, up to and including termination, if they walk out that day. 

Teachers do not rule the universe. They work under a contract. The contract says "Work and you get paid." And yes, they weaseled "Personal Days" into the contract, so that they can go to the doctor if they are sick. This doesn't mean they can strike for a day because they are sick of working.

It was sickening to watch the Richland 2 School Board roll over, when SC for Ed (red t-shirts, "Red for Ed", walk out on May 1 (you do know the history of May Day, don't you? - Day of International Solidarity with Workers Day (1918) in the former Soviet Union; that's the old Russia)), when so many Richland 2 teachers walked off the job that the District closed schools at the last minute.

Those are your "beloved" teachers who are supposed to be in the classroom with Amelia McKie's "babies" in Richland 2. 

The School Board is Management. The teachers are workers. Most on the school board need some solid instruction about what being a Manager means.

Plan now, Board Members. Make it plain to the Richland 2 superintendent and teachers. You will be working that day!

If you know when Stand Up and Step Out Day will be, please post the date in the Comments.

How to Shorten School Board Meetings

Richland 2 School Board meetings could be shortened to one hour; maybe to 90 minutes - max. How?

Eliminate the long-winded, unnecessary introductions of the Inspirational Moment. By the way, it's not spelled INSPRIATIONAL. That should have been corrected after the last meeting.

Limit the Inspirational Moment to a "moment"; say, 90-120 seconds.

Wake up some of the board members so that, when the Chair calls for a routine Motion, somebody pipes up. It's just a motion. You're not signing up for after-school duty.

Eliminate unnecessary, extraneous, long-winded statements by board members. Say what you've got to say, keep it on topic, and zip it.

Limit the superintendent to ten minutes for his reports. Tell him not to read to people who can read and not to repeat himself. Set a timer. When it dings, he gets the red light.

Tell the superintendent to stop sniping at Trustee Agostini. He works for her; not the other way around. She asked him a question. To answer with something like "I covered that in my Facebook LIVE", insinuating that she should have spent her time watching the Baron Davis Show, was disrespectful.

Same for staffers. Ten minutes. Or less.

Limit board members' remarks to those that contribute to the conversation. Eliminate rambling. 

As soon as a board member says she'll keep it short, start a timer. It's not necessary to ramble on and on about the COVID-19 count worldwide, in the U.S. and in South Carolina. It's in The State every day.

Board members, let the Chair do his job. The Chair can thank speakers, teachers. Don't usurp his role.

Was it really necessary for the Chair to wish former board member Chip Jackson a happy birthday for tomorrow? He died on August 7.

Capital Improvements Report

If you want to know how your $468,000,000 from the 2018 bond issue is being spent, be sure to watch the Capital Improvements Report given by Will Anderson. 

Richland 2 must be in the running for national architectural awards. Look at the modern buildings, including the Arts Center! Are they really suitable for the expenditure of public dollars? 

Will's report starts at approximate one hour 34 minutes into the meeting. It's mind-blowing!

What was Caution-Parker doing?

In the recording of this week's school board meeting (9/22/2020) notice the amount of time that Trustee Caution-Parker was looking down. 

What was she doing all that time? Texting? Reading or writing email? (There is a Board Policy about using electronics during board meetings.)

I was reminded of the cartoon that circulates on Facebook of the teacher who commented on a student who was taking a test and smiling while he was looking down into his lap. You've probably seen that.

Inappropriate Virtual Background

During tonight's school board meeting Trustee Manning sat in front of his personalized Zoom "virtual background", which seemed to read "NOTORIOUS RBG". My apologies for the quality of the photo from the computer monitor.

Was it appropriate for him to express his personal views about anything other than school board business during a school board meeting?

Two other board members (well, really just one) displayed virtual backgrounds, but their choice was the District's wallpaper. Others did not use any virtual background.

Personally, I believe Manning's choice was inappropriate. Notice in the video-recording of the meeting how he sat off to the side so that the drawing of RBG was prominent. The Board Chair should have texted Manning and asked him to turn off his virtual background during the meeting.

Comments?

Candidates' Forum is after voting begins

Richland County absentee voting in the election of School Board members (and other races) begins October 5-7 (depending on the satellite location), BUT the forum for candidates for the three open positions on the School Board will not be held until October 20th, only two weeks before the election.

Many voters will already have voted before they have the chance to size up the candidates at the forum planned at R2i2 (or probably virtually) on October 20.

Who picked that date? Did the candidates get their heads together and pick that date?  

Do you think the candidates should have their forum sooner?

Why isn't Richland 2 Filling Two Vacant Seats?

The Richland 2 School Board is supposed to have seven members. It has five (5).

There is a protocol for filling vacant seats. Richland One filled one after resignation of a board member who was moving out of state. It held a special election.

To become a legitimate board member, one must first be elected. Upon being elected, the candidate becomes "qualified" and becomes a trustee-elect.

The next step is for the trustee-elect to become eligible for the office by filing a Statement of Economic Interests form with the South Carolina Ethics Commission.

ARTICLE 11

Disclosure of Economic Interests

SECTION 8-13-1110. Persons required to file statement of economic interests.

(A) No public official, regardless of compensation, and no public member or public employee as designated in subsection (B) may take the oath of office or enter upon his official responsibilities unless he has filed a statement of economic interests in accordance with the provisions of this chapter with the appropriate supervisory office. If a public official, public member, or public employee referred to in this section has no economic interests to disclose, he shall nevertheless file a statement of inactivity to that effect with the appropriate supervisory office. All disclosure statements are matters of public record open to inspection upon request.

For those certain people who have difficulty reading the "fine print", let me simplify this Section.

(A) No public official, regardless of compensation, and no public member or public employee as designated in subsection (B) may take the oath of office or enter upon his official responsibilities unless he has filed a statement of economic interests in accordance with the provisions of this chapter with the appropriate supervisory office. If a public official, public member, or public employee referred to in this section has no economic interests to disclose, he shall nevertheless file a statement of inactivity to that effect with the appropriate supervisory office. All disclosure statements are matters of public record open to inspection upon request.

Fact: Amelia McKie and Teresa Holmes filed their Statements of Economic Interests forms with the S.C. Ethics Commission on December 4, 2018.

According to Richland 2 School District, McKie and Holmes have not taken the oath of office on or since December 4, 2018.

Therefore, they are not legitimate members of the school board and should not be allowed to participate in board matters, votes, compensation or perks.

They will become legitimate board members as soon as they take the oath - legally. The oath they both took on November 13, 2018 was in violation of S.C. Code of Laws Section 8-13-1110(A).

If they were in court and sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, how would they answer these two questions:

"Did you take the oath of office on November 13, 2018, before you filed your Statement of Economic Interests form?"

"Have you taken the oath of office since you filed your Statement of Economic Interests form on December 4, 2018?"

There are three possible answers: 1. Yes; 2. No; 3. I decline to answer on the grounds that my answer might incriminate me.

The Richland County Elections Commission has been asked whether it retains jurisdiction over an elected position if the candidate never takes the oath of office. Isn't the position still open? Shouldn't an election be held to fill the two open positions on the Richland 2 School Board?

Why Teachers Quit?

A recent article in Newsweek describes a high school in Dallas where somebody got all hot and bothered about a writing assignment given to one class. 

A teacher at W. T. White High School in the Dallas ISD (4505 Ridgeside Drive, Dallas, TX 75244) gave a two-part assignment to the class about a "hero for the modern age". Students could pick one from several men and then were told to write a half-page biography and then to write a full page essay on which one "demonstrates best your concept of a hero". (Newsweek)

The list included César Chávez, George Floyd, Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X, Kyle Rittenhouse, and Joseph Rosenbaum.

A relative of one student got her panties all twisted over Rittenhouse's name being included and that no women were included on the list. Whom did she want on the list? Patty Hearst?

The school ran for cover, of course, instead of sticking up for the teacher.

Why should the teacher not be criticized? He (or she) was requiring the students to think. To t-h-i-n-k. What a novel concept. First of all, they'd probably just head for Google for their half-page biography. But the next part of the assignment, choosing one from the list to represent their own concept of a hero and then writing a full page about him should require some thinking. 

I wonder whether W. T. White High School offers a debate class or a debate team. 

Teachers today, worried about keeping their jobs and not getting on the wrong side of a principal or superintendent (and then having a face a school board that is stacked against them because it sides with a superintendent in disciplinary or expulsion actions), learn quickly that they'd better not think "outside the box."

Be careful not to challenge the kiddies; they might offend someone. And, for sure, someone - somewhere in that class (or at home or related or maybe not even related) - will stand up and scream. And then the teacher will find out he is up the creek, without a paddle.

W. T. White H.S. Principal: Elena Bates. Email: ELBates@dallasisd.org

Dallas ISD Superintendent: Michael Hinojosa

Submit comments to Dallas ISD at www.dallasisd.org/comments

What "contractual matter" on 9/22/20 Agenda?

The Agenda for the September 22, 2020 Regular Meeting of the school board has been posted on the District's website. You do know where to find it; right? If you don't, ask.

The Executive Session is scheduled for 60 minutes. starting at 4:30PM. Item 2.5 is "Contractual Matter Regarding Transfer of Property". What's this???

It could be as simple as a driveway easement or it could be something significant.

If it is significant, when the time comes for the board to vote on it in Item 8, will the board vote on it as an matter taken up as Item 8.4 without two readings? Or will the board not mention it further on Tuesday and then schedule it as an item for First Reading in a future meeting?

Remember to submit your public comments, for reading to the board, by 1:00PM on Tuesday.

Load 'em up, Parents. Coordinate your efforts. Get the board's attention. And tell the board to show their faces while public comments are being read.

The Livestream open session starts at 5:30PM. 

DHEC 9/18/20 Schools COVID-19 Report

The State newspaper reports today the DHEC numbers for COVID-19 in South Carolina elementary, middle and high schools. See the newspaper article here.

Six Richland 2 schools are included, all with less than five new cases each among students and staff.

For the week this is the result, as reported by The State: "The 532 cases include 352 students and 180 employees": 

The State fails miserably by not putting the numbers in context by including the total number of elementary and secondary students and faculty statewise. A frame of reference is necessary to determine how serious a number like "532" is.

Richland 2 alone has more than 28,000 students and more than 3,000 staff, doesn't it?

Adjusting the numbers from the article in The State

• Catawba Trail Elementary: 1-5 faculty cases
• Forest Lake Elementary: 1-5 faculty cases
• L.B. Nelson Elementary: 1-5 student cases
• Muller Road Middle: 1-5 faculty cases
• Richland Northeast High: 1-5 student cases
• Spring Valley High: 1-5 student cases and 1-5 faculty cases
• Windsor Elementary: 1-5 faculty cases

So Richland 2 could have between new 3-15 student cases and new 5-25 employee cases.

Aren't we in the "mostly survivable" situation, as one parent put it recently in a comment read to the board?

Schools Supt. says, "Back to school for K-5"

South Carolina State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman spoke up this week in support of all the parents who wrote to the Richland 2 School Board last week and asked for in-school education for their young and special-needs children. Check it out in The State here.

I wonder ... is the Richland 2 School Board listening? Is the Richland 2 superintendent listening? Did he get a written message from Supt. Spearman? Let's hear what the School Board has to say, when it meets next on September 22.

At the September 8th Regular Board Meeting the superintendent, at the end of the presentation on Special Education, rambled on and on and on in a prepared, written statement. Didn't anyone get tired of listening to him read his long statement? They know he knows his business. Why didn't they require him to speak without reading his "paper"? Will his description of parents as "calm, confident, positive, courageous" begin showing up on walls through the District? The Richland 2 superintendent will never have to worry about being convicted of being short-winded during a board meeting.

One parent's Letter to the Board set off trustee-elect Teresa Holmes. She didn't like the parent's use of "mostly survivable" and launched into a long commentary that programs should be "survivable for as many of the masses as possible." She said she didn't know how she would feel if it was her child or her child's teacher who didn't survive (because of a decision by the school board to send certain children back to school). Well, of course she knows.

But what, really, is the difference because "mostly survivable" and "survivable for as many of the masses as possible"? 

I was reminded of comments by others who say, "If we can save one child...."

It's a given that schools should be as safe as possible. 

Public Participation - Welcome (or not?)

During the days (nights) of virtual school board meetings, the public cannot directly address the board.

It could, but the District won't allow it. Instead, the public must submit written comments, which are then read by Mrs. Libby Roof to the board during meetings. The sender's email is shown as it is being read, so the audience doesn't get a chance to watch the reactions of the board members.

Would it be better to show the board and watch whether they are paying attention?

When you look around on the District's website for the procedure for submitting such an email, here is what you find when you click on PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, under School Board in the menu.

The part you don't see in the screen-print is this:

"Public Participation for Virtual Board Meetings

"The form Public Participation for Virtual Board Meetings is no longer accepting responses.
Try contacting the owner of the form if you think this is a mistake."

How in the world do you ever figure out who the "owner" of the form is?

Hint: Watch for the announcement of the School Board meeting on the District's homepage by the Friday before a Meeting, and hope there is information posted there about how to submit your written comments before 1:00PM on the day of the Board meeting.

The 1619 Project - is it here?

Is The 1619 Project being taught anywhere in the Richland 2 school district? (Wikipedia is used in the link, in order to avoid the paywall of The New York Times.)

Parents (and Teachers), if you hear of this, will you please circulate what you learn?

One of the best ways is to send an email to the School Board before 1:00PM on the day of a school board meeting. Then your communication will be read to the entire board and, importantly, to the viewing public. 

If you watched the recording of the last school board meeting, you'll know that certain school board had their noses out-of-joint about parent communications. They would prefer you to telephone the superintendent one-on-one, where your communication will be pigeon-holed and never see the light of day. You'll think you are the only one complaining.

It might look to one of them like a "coordinated effort". Well, that's what it is, and that's what gets attention. 

Those one-off phone calls and email messages don't inform anyone else of issues and concerns. Take them to the Board. It's the Board that directs the District, through its oversight of the superintendent.

Right now there is a Board that clearly lines up with and seldom questions anything said or done by the superintendent. Take, for example, his personal desire to hire "100 Premiier Men of Color" onto the staff of Richland 2. This is NOT a Board project. This is not a School District project. This is a personal program of the superintendent and one that, by his own admission, he is not accountable to the board for.

Read that paragraph again. It's a pet project of the superintendent that the Board has not approved or condoned. How much time is he spending on it? How is he shaping or re-shaping the District without Board oversight???

Hillsdale College - free online courses

Do you know about the free online courses offered by Hillsdale College. 

First of all, it's a real college in Hillsdale, Michigan. Check it out at www.hillsdale.edu

From the homepage, see the Online Courses. Set up your free online account, choose a course, and get started.

If you have taken Hillsdale courses but have not accessed your account since January 2020, you'll need to create a new account. Use the same email address, and your history will be migrated to your new account.

I've just enrolled in "A Proper Understanding of K-12 Education: Theory & Practice".

Post your comment below about any courses you have taken from Hillsdale. How many have you taken? Did you complete them? 

Everybody is doin' it. Will Richland 2 join in?

Clemson will allow its football players to paste BLM stickers on their helmets. Clemson will display social justice messages on its football field for home games. (Kind of redundant, isn't it? But The State said it first.)

And USC-Aiken is all over one of its baseball coaches for speaking out against social-justice messages. Coach Kenny Thomas took aim at Clemson's football helmet sticker plan and ended up in the crosshairs of USC-Aiken officials. Thomas is quoted in The State as having said, "It is 100% shameful, I promise you will never see anything like this on my field. I support the Blue and not ashamed to say it."

As an example of hypocrisy, USC-Aiken's Chancellor, Sandra J. Jordan, spoke out against Coach Thomas, who had posted his opinion on Facebook. She said, according to The State:

“His expression was a personal opinion and does not reflect the values of this university, Pacer athletics, or our community, I am writing today to speak out against intolerance and opinions that stand in sharp contrast with our stated values of civility, tolerance and mutual respect.”

In speaking about civility, tolerance and mutual respect, didn't she just violate all three? And what about Coach Thomas' First Amendment right???

Has Chancellor Jordan read the U.S. Constitution lately? Ever?

But back to Richland 2. Will we see BLM stickers on high school football teams' uniforms? On the fields? On the fences around the fields? In the school?

I certainly hope NOT!!!

District Email Address for Holmes & Elkins. Same tune, second verse.

Several months ago I wrote about the importance for the Richland 2 School District to set up District email addresses for Monica Elkins and Teresa Holmes.

First of all, why should there be any hesitation or reluctance by the District to do so? As soon as an elected person becomes a legal board member, that should be right at the top of the list after he or she takes the oath of office.

It should be a District Policy. A Board Policy. 

OK, so that explains why Holmes doesn't have one and uses a personal Gmail address. But that isn't the reason that Holmes doesn't have a District email address (@richland2.org) for Holmes. 

All school business should be conducted on the District's email server, so that there is a permanent and accessible record forever by the District.

One of these days Holmes and Elkins won't be board members. When that day comes, how will the District be able to meet the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act? On the day they leave office, they could close their Gmail accounts and wipe out all official business email communications.

What would keep Holmes or Elkins from making an incomplete search of their email records when responding to a FOIA request?

What would keep them from deleting an incoming or outgoing message that they'd prefer did not exist?

Or let's say that a member of the public or a government agency or a business submits a FOIA request.

What control does Richland 2 have over the Gmail accounts of Holmes and Elkins? NONE.

This is basic Public Body 101. 

Holmes and Elkins should not be able to say, "But I like my Gmail address. I don't want a richland2.org email address." Well, it doesn't matter. The District should set it up for them and tell them that they WILL use it for all official email correspondence. 

What reason or excuse does the District have for not following this common-sense requirement?

Voting Absentee?

Will you be voting by Absentee Ballot in the November 3, 2020 General Election?

Have you requested your Absentee Ballot Application yet? Do you know that you can submit an online request for the application?

Go to www.scvotes.org  Click on "Get My Absentee Application".   Follow the instructions. 

The Richland County Elections Commission will mail the application to you. Once you receive it, follow the instructions on it, and then mail it back to the RC Elections Commission.

The next step is to wait a few days, and then you can check online to learn if your application was delivered to the Commission.

Go to www.scvotes.com  This time, click on "Check Your Absentee Ballot".

Just above the Submit button, check the box for the Statewide General Election, and then click Submit.

The entries at the bottom will inform you of the status of your Request, your Application and your Ballot.

Once you receive and mark your Ballot, you'll be able to mail it back or take it to an Absentee/Satellite Location at North Springs Park Community Center - 1320 Clemson Road, Columbia, SC 29229 - October 7, 2020 - November 2, 2020 (8:30 am - 5:00 pm). If there is a line, you don't have to wait in line to turn in your Absentee Ballot.

Caution-Parker insults parents of special-needs students

What's the panic? What's the "emergency"? What pandemic?

From DHEC and The State newspaper on September 11, 2020, less than 27 cases in Richland 2 schools. It could be as few as 7, because "Schools with fewer than five cases do not report a specific number." These numbers are only for students and staff reporting to schools.

"In Richland 2, Spring Valley High School reported at least one case each among students and faculty. Windsor Elementary also reported less than five cases among faculty, and L.B. Nelson Elementary has fewer than five cases among its students... 

Catawba Trail Elementary and Muller Road Middle both previously reported fewer than five faculty members each coming down with the disease. Richland Northeast High School also has fewer than 5 student cases."

If you watched last week's (9/8/2020) school board meeting, you know that parents want their kids in school, especially the students with special needs. Watch the two segments of public comments on YouTube for the September 8th meeting. Hear the reasonable pleas of the parents. 

The first segment of Public Participation begins at 11:22 on the timer.

The second segment of Public Participation begins at 2:06:00 on the timer.

Parents of students with special needs were insulted by Trustee Caution-Parker, when she launched a two-minute tirade criticizing the many parents who submitted public comments and defending Dr. Davis. 

Caution-Parker said (at 2:24:54), "I would just like to say to the parents that made the comments, that it sounds like, this is my opinion, that this has been a coordinated effort by some of you to bring all this at one time to our board and our superintendent. I would encourage you, I would urge you, I beg you, pick up the phone, call the superintendent and talk to him one-on-one without listening to anybody else out there, saying this thing that or their opinion.  Get the facts. Get all of the facts. And please understand we have to look at Richland 2 as an entire community, not certain sections. And just like you've made your point this evening about face-to-face learning, believe me when I tell you we have just as many and more parents on the other side that like just the way we are handling it. And what we have to do is look at the district as a whole and that, I believe with all my heart and soul, is what Dr. Davis and his team are doing. Please, when we get these nasty emails, where you up and comment like 'you die' and all this, that's a bunch of crud. That's a bunch of crud. Nobody is going to pay attention to that. You need to talk to directly to Dr. Davis and get the facts."

Caution-Parker misses the whole point of School Board responsibility. The reason that parents are coming to the board with their comments is because they know that the Board is supposed to direct the superintendent. 

Has anyone ever been at a board meeting and heard the superintendent say that he got 275 phone calls and emails last week from parents complaining about e-learning and that they want their children back in school? In 2½ years I've never heard him give that type of report.

Caution-Parker is totally wrong that the board is to look only at the big picture. In the special education world there is FAPE - Free and Appropriate Public Education. Parents of special-ed students know about it. Special Ed advocates know about it. Special Ed teachers know about it. Richland 2 does not have a choice about FAPE. Richland 2 must provide it.

Kudos to the 24 parents who submitted comments to be read to the Board last Tuesday!

Patriot Day 2020

 Never forget ... 9-11-01.

The students in Richland 2 schools hadn't even been born yet. Others alive today weren't old enough to understand what really happened that day.

When you see the U.S. Flag today, lowered for Patriot Day, pause in your travels and think about what this Flag and the U.S.A. mean to you.

The U.S.A. has enemies today, and not all are foreign enemies. We must protect ourselves against ALL enemies, foreign and domestic.

Today there are domestic enemies. They are in Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Kenosha, Chicago, Atlanta. Some were even here in Columbia. And some still are.

I heard this years ago - "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." A wise Irish judge and politician said it. John Philpot Curran (1750-1817).

Be vigilant.

District Ombudsman - just a high-paid traffic cop?

Yesterday I emailed the Richland 2 School District Ombudsman about a copyright issue and possible ethics violation. Today I received a polite reply, re-directing me to the Senior Chief Communications Officer.

Several months ago the Ombudsman presented a report to the School Board. She read her presentation to them and then was unable to answer specific questions asked of her. The superintendent should have known exactly what she was going to say, and I don't have any doubt that she was told exactly what to say. "Just read the slides to them."

She's a nice person. After her presentation, I decided then that she is little more than a "traffic cop" on the District's payroll. I was surprised to learn yesterday that she is a 30-year employee of Richland 2. Her introduction as Ombudsman was posted on the District's website under date 8/9/2019. The lead paragraph reads, "Richland School District Two announced that Kelli Johnson is the district’s new ombudsman. The ombudsman is a newly created position and serves as an objective or neutral party who seeks to facilitate the resolution of concerns as quickly and efficiently as possible."

The first definition of ombudsman found on Google reads, "an official appointed to investigate individuals' complaints against maladministration, especially that of public authorities." That was not how she described her job.

In business (and a school district is Big Business) an ombudsman has some independence and some muscle. She reports directly to the superintendent. When she explained her position to the Board that evening, I felt she had neither independence or muscle. 

Her response to me about the Clint Pulver video validates my suspicion. She should have made the investigation about the possible illegal use of the Clint Pulver video. That was her job, not shuttling me off to Mrs. Roof.

Are you familiar with the popular saying in legal circles that a lawyer never asks a question in court to which he doesn't already know the answer?

I already know the answer as to whether the District had permission to use the Clint Pulver video.

The Voice slams Shadd's friend, Leevy Johnson

Be sure to buy a copy of the September 10th Voice of Blythewood & Fairfield County. A front-page article slams Chris Leevy Johnson for his use of what that paper calls a "perjorative". Leevy Johnson had referred to Trustee Lindsay Agostini as a "KAREN" for her vote against the nomination of James Shadd as Board Chair and against approving the superintendent's evaluation.

Leevy Johnson's message was posted in a Facebook message to James Shadd shortly after Shadd was elected as Board Chair of Richland 2 on June 30. When I say "shortly", it was only minutes after the election. The Facebook posting indicated that Leevy Johnson  was "with" Shadd.

What time did he join Shadd that afternoon?

On this blog I wrote about it and referred to Leevy Johnson's use of KAREN as a racial slur. 

Imagine the uproar if anyone called Leevy Johnson a "racial slur". 

Why did Mrs. Agostini vote against Mr.Shadd? It had something to do with Shadd's owing almost $50,000 to the State of South Carolina for unpaid income taxes for several years.

Pick up your copy of The Voice at numerous locations in the area. The paper has some great stories and ads. Contact the paper about having it delivered to your home by mail. 

9/8/20 Board Meeting - Absolutely Pitiful

A prominent attorney in Columbia suggested to me earlier in the year that I ought to run for the School Board. He told me I'd have a good platform for talking about what's wrong and he added, "But you don't want to win."

The Executive Session ran over about 15 minutes. After the regular meeting got underway, Board Chair Shadd called on trustee-elect Amelia for the Inspirational Moment. First she launched into a long, long, recital of every employment position in the school district and finally thanked them. Then she indicated for a video to start, without preamble, and the first slide was INSPRIATIONAL [sic] MOMENT.  Who reviewed that slide and missed the typo?

Then a long video played, at the end of which was www.clintpulver.com  McKie made no introduction of who Clint Pulver was. Pulver is a professional speaker, and his video is most likely copyrighted.

Board meetings are totally out of control. Chair Shadd makes no attempt to control McKie. The Inspiration Moment should be a "moment", often thought of as about 90 seconds. 

Twenty-four comments were received from the public. Mrs. Roof read the first 12 (although it seemed like more) to the board. Many (most) had to do with the feelings of parents that special ed children and the younger children are being short-changed by being forced into the computer model of learning. Parents feel the District should not use Richland County COVID-19 numbers, which are now influenced by the irresponsible students at USC, whose infections are boosting COVID numbers for the County.

Then the board voted to accept Caution-Parker's "volunteering" to attend a December meeting of the South Carolina School Boards Assn. (SCSBA). That was clearly a backroom deal, because Chair Shadd said that he "understood" that Caution-Parker had volunteered. From a public meeting standpoint, he should have opened the item on the agenda and waited for one of Caution-Parker's buddies on the Squad to nominate her to represent the District at that SCSBA meeting.

But the kicker tonight was the H.R. discussion on new hires. After the staff report, the superintendent took a deep breath and soared into space about his 100 Premier Men of Color program, throwing accountability out the window because it's "his" program, not a Board assignment that would be part of his evaluation.

Mrs. Agostini asked if his program would be successful, if the District hired 100 men of color but lost 150 men of color. The superintendent (often referring to himself in the third person as "the superintendent") took a second deep breath and rambled on. Apparently, that program will be "successful" if just one student has a teacher who looks like him.

Board Chair Shadd should learn how to run a meeting. Perhaps he ought to have a private conversation with "the superintendent" and tell him just to answer questions and not deliver a thesis. And also not to butt in without being recognized by the Chair. But Shadd won't do that. It might hurt someone's feelings.

Somebody should have called "Point of Order" on the superintendent and on McKie. I got fed up at 6;30PM and abandoned the rest of the meeting.

I'm so glad that I thought long and hard about running for the Board and made the smart decision (for me) not to run. The minority is powerless and might as well not even show up for meetings.

"Gun" seen in virtual class

 A Colorado school district went nuts last week, when it suspended a 12-year-old student who inadvertently allowed a toy gun to be seen by the camera of his home computer during a virtual class.

A different news article said the boy was seated on a sofa and moved the "gun" from one side to his other side. The teacher thought it was a toy.

Could that happen here?

The boy, a student at Grand Mountain School in Widefield School District 3, Colorado Springs, Colorado, was attending a virtual art class. The teacher reported it to her principal, who sicced a deputy of the El Paso County Sheriff's Department on the boy at his home without notifying the parents.

See the school's CYA statement in the news article. It's one of those carefully- and thoughtfully-worded statements prepared by a school district's lawyer to try to shield a school from a lawsuit.

Most readers today won't remember the days when boys drove their pick-up trucks to school with the rifles slung on brackets in the back window. Or the days when there was a after-school rifle club.

Now a school is like an airport. One doesn't even dare to say the word "gun".

What is Richland 2's policy in a situation like this? 

Is the School District set up to intrude into a private home? If it's obviously a toy gun, should anything be said? Suppose Mom or Dad walks into the room and stops to observe the son's school work. If s/he is "packing", will the teacher call the police and report a gun in the classroom?

Is Richland 2 School District full of teachers and other staff who are anti-gun?

On February 28, 2018, two weeks after the shooting in Parkland, Florida, I asked the school board to consider surveying teachers, staff, parents, and community members on the issue of arming teachers. The superintendent made the decision for the board by informing me there would be no survey.  I wondered who put him in charge of the Board.

The whole mess in Colorado Springs could have been handled by a simple phone call from the teacher to one of the parents. But today's teachers are afraid to demonstrate such independence and individual thinking. They fear Administration. And that's why there is a huge bureaucracy, such as in District 2 here, that sucks up millions of dollars that could otherwise go into instructional services.

What is the Authority of the Board Chair?

The Richland 2 School Board is supposed to have seven members, who are called Trustees. They are elected for four-year terms, which are staggered. Four were elected in November 2018. Three will be elected in November 2020.

At the last meeting of the School Year, which ends June 30th, the Board elects its Officers for the following school year. They serve from July 1 to June 30.

Board Policy BBAA - Board Member Authority and Responsibilities clearly specifies what individual members of the Board can and cannot do. The Board Chair is a member of the Board, and his authority is limited by Policy BBAA.

Paragraph 2 of BBAA begins with, "Board members acting as individuals have no authority over personnel or school affairs except when such authority is specifically delegated to a member by the board. Such authority will be given to an individual board member, including the chair, by a majority of the board."

Recently an issue came up with a letter that was sent by Board member James Shadd in his position as Board Chair. The point made at a board meeting was that the board had never authorized him to send such a letter. He could have sent it as an individual without mentioning Richland 2, but it was apparently sent on behalf of the District. 

The Board Chair is one of seven. 

Now we all know that, if Shadd wants the Board's permission to do something, he has plenty of followers on the board who will approve. But he should have asked. Votes on anything he wants will be 6-1 or 5-2. In a rare circumstance where he might have to recuse himself, the vote will still be 5-1 or 4-2. 

That's the Board that voters and taxpayers have to live with until the tide changes in Richland 2.

District Violated Board Policy on Nov. 13, 2018

The Richland 2 School District violated its own Policy BBB, when it swore in Amelia McKie and Teresa Holmes on November 13, 2018. Therefore, there is one more reason that McKie and Holmes are not legitimate members of the Board.

Heretofore, I have asserted that McKie and Holmes are not legitimate members of the board because they violated S.C. Code of Laws Section 8-13-1110(A) by taking the oath of office and commencing their responsibilities before they filed their Statements of Economic Interests with the S.C. Ethics Commission. That assertion of that violation is still true.

Now comes the second point by which they are illegitimate members of the Board.

The second paragraph of Board Policy BBB reads, in part, "The term of office of every elected trustee of the school district must commence one week following the certification of his/her election." [emphasis added]

McKie and Holmes were sworn in on November 13, 2018 (less than one week following certification of their election), and their notarized oaths of office are dated November 13, 2018.

The 2018 election of school board members was November 6, 2018.

The election was certified by the Richland County Elections Commission on November 9, 2018.

This means that the term of office for McKie and Holmes began on November 16, 2018, not on November 13. They should not have been seated at the November 13th Board Meeting, and their votes on any matters should be removed from the record. 

McKie and Holmes never took the oath of office at the beginning of their term of office. If the practice of Richland 2 is to administer the oath at the beginning of the term of office, why did it administer it three days early? McKie and Holmes should not have been seated at the November 13th board meeting.

They didn't even become eligible to take the oath of office until December 4, 2018, when each filed her Statement of Economic Interests with the Ethics Commission. December 4th is the earliest date they could have legally taken the oath of office. The only date they took the oath was November 13, 2018.

In addition to violating State law, they violated District Policy. The District may claim that the oath can be administered before the term of office begins, as far as the Board Policy goes. Had McKie and Holmes filed their SEIs, then the only problem would be that they were seated before the Board Policy allowed. BUT they had not filed their SEIs, and they were not eligible to take the oath under State law.

McKie and Holmes have been eligible to take the oath of office since December 4, 2018; yet they have not. They have been allowed to attend confidential Executive Sessions and to vote on student and District matters. They have been paid. They have probably been reimbursed for expenses. Who pays for their membership in the South Carolina School Boards Association?

McKie, while not yet a legitimate member of the board, serves as a Director of the SCSBA. The SCSBA is aware of the challenge to her position on the Richland 2 School Board; yet it allows her to serve.

Should Tax Liens rule out candidacy?

James Shadd, current Board Chair of the Richland 2 School District and candidate for re-election in November, has five unsatisfied tax liens in South Carolina. Should this knock him out of the running?

According to the South Carolina State Tax Lien Registry (https://mydorway.dor.sc.gov) last week, these outstanding liens are public record.

A lien filed 12/29/2014 has a balance of $11,205.03

A lien filed 3/30/2017 has a balance of $6,521.10

A lien filed 4/12/19 has a balance of $10,201.59

A lien filed 4/12/2019 has a balance of $7,448.14

A lien filed 5/8/2020 has a balance of $11,181.42

That's a total of $46,557.28.

Two personal tax liens have been paid off. They were paid on 6/17/2019 and 7/22/2020.

Four business tax liens against the Shadd Law Firm LLC were paid on 6/24/2015, 4/22/2016 (2), and 7/3/2017.

Apparently, there is no law in South Carolina that says you can't run for public office if you don't pay your state income taxes.

Maybe, then, it's just up to the voters to say, You're not going to be elected to office, if you don't pay your taxes."

Richland 2 and COVID-19

How are Richland 2 schools doing with COVID-19?

Beginning Friday, September 4, 2020 you can find out whether Richland 2 has any students and staff test positive for COVID-19. All you have to do is click on www.scdhec.gov/COVID19schools

DHEC plans to publish reports on the afternoons of Tuesdays and Fridays.

The reports will include K-12 students who "attend in-person classes regularly," according to The State newspaper today.. Reports will also include positive cases of employees who are physically present at schools.

Those involved in e-learning and who don't come to schools regularly for extra-curricular activities will not be counted.

The State reports that college students are excluded.