COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has announced temporary closures for schools across the state as more cases of coronavirus continue to emerge.
Starting Monday, schools throughout the state will be closed until March 31. This includes Pre-K, K-12, universities, colleges and technical colleges.
The South Carolina Superintendent of Education, Molly Mitchell Spearman, said she is seeking a waiver from the department of education to suspend federally required student assessments that are traditionally required during the spring, in order to remove some stress from the situation.
It comes just one day after North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper made a similar announcement regarding NC public schools.
The Associated Press initially learned the South Carolina governor would announce Sunday the closure of all schools. The information came from an official who is familiar with the decision but not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Schools will be closed for two weeks, and food centers will be set up for students reliant on food provided in schools.
Additionally, the FDA has approved the medical university of South Carolina for COVID-19 testing, and MUSC has said they will likely start processing these tests in their lab by the end of this week.
South Carolina's Department of Education previously was granted a waiver from the USDA to allow summer feeding options to be used during the closures.