The Aiken County Board of Education voted at Tuesday's meeting to conduct an interest survey for school district employees about voluntary COVID-19 testing.
Board member Cameron Nuessle added this discussion to the meeting agenda after the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control updated its COVID-19 guidance earlier this month.
DHEC's new guidance "recommends diagnostic testing as needed and screening testing at least monthly for most people in the community, particularly those who spend time around others," including people with no symptoms or no known close contacts.
It is possible to be infected, feel well without symptoms and still be able to spread the virus, according to DHEC.
Nuessle called attention to a scarcity of free testing countywide from DHEC.
Results from DHEC's free testing search show one testing location in Aiken County for Oct. 14, 15 and 19: a pop-up event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the BEC Complex at 5955 Jefferson Davis Highway in North Augusta. Nuessle said people are often working during those times.
Nuessle suggested partnering with DHEC or another agency to provide voluntary testing, adding that it may help the district have a better understanding of asymptomatic carriers in schools.
Superintendent King Laurence said the district has talked with Rural Health Services about providing testing services, though the district does not have cost figures yet.
School nurses providing testing themselves would be a large undertaking on top of their regular duties and contact tracing workload, so the district would prefer an outside partner instead, Laurence said.
Nuessle referenced student information that was recently volunteered to the school district from families or students.
"Sixty-four students [were] sent home with symptoms and 25 were tested, and I can't help but think that that's because some folks don't have access, and it would be interesting if we could – not require people – but help provide access for folks," Nuessle said.
Chairman Keith Liner suggested sending a survey to employees to see if they would be interested in voluntary testing.
The school board unanimously approved a motion to "do a survey of the employees to see the interest in COVID testing and, in parallel, look at the delivery models for voluntary testing," as read by Liner.
Public comment
A high school teacher and a student spoke out against returning to five-day instruction during public participation at the Tuesday meeting.
The school board voted on Oct. 6 for schools at all levels to transition out of the hybrid model, in which students attend in separate cohorts for two days a week each. The hybrid model allows schools to operate at half capacity or lower, with many students attending the all-virtual Aiken Innovate.
Amy Stone, a high school teacher, said middle and high school parents and employees had not expected the board to make a decision outside of the elementary level.
Before the Oct. 6 vote, the school board had focused on elementary schools and special education classes when discussing the move to full-time, face-to-face instruction.
"Had the board communicated even a possibility that this would be discussed, all stakeholders would've had at least an opportunity to provide input if they chose to do so," Stone said. "Instead, we feel blindsided at best, and hoodwinked at worst."
Stone also voiced concern about COVID-19 spreading in high schools and the lack of social distancing if middle and high schools return to five-day instruction.
After the school year began, Stone contracted the virus, she said.
"What we will be risking in this experiment is student and employee health," Stone said.
Aiken High senior Perrin Odom also addressed the school board.
Odom said, as a student, she feels that her health and the health of her teachers is at risk.
"With going back four days a week, we're doubling the class sizes," Odom said. "It's already hard for us, two days a week, to socially distance in the classrooms, so how will we be able to socially distance in the classrooms if the class size doubles?"
The lack of social distancing in four- and five-day classes has been confirmed by school district officials. Superintendent King Laurence said on Oct. 6 that students will be required to wear their masks all day due to their close proximity to other students.
Petition
This week, Kathleen Kihnley, a junior at Aiken High School, started an online petition to the Aiken County Board of Education asking to keep the hybrid schedule for Aiken County high schools.
Among other reasons, Kihnley's petition cites the 91 COVID-19 cases reported by the school district up to Oct. 3 (this number rose to 100 by Oct. 10), the incoming flu season, the lack of social distancing and the Back-to-School Advisory Committee's recommendation that schools remain in the hybrid model.
The petition had 158 signatures at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
