Beaufort’s Bridges Prep moves to virtual learning, citing school COVID outbreak
Bridges Preparatory School is moving to virtual learning until at least Monday, citing high COVID numbers on campus amid a record-breaking surge of the omicron variant.
“Last week our staff and student case counts grew at a rate that required an emergency meeting this evening to evaluate the safety of our learning environment,” the school’s chief executive officer, Gary McCulloch, wrote in a Monday letter to parents. “This evening our board voted to move to virtual learning effective tomorrow.”
The school was closed to students for professional development on Tuesday. Remote learning will begin Wednesday, and the board will meet Saturday to determine whether it’s safe to return to in-person classes on Jan. 24.
If the board determines it’s not safe, the school will remain remote until at least Jan. 28.
Between Jan. 3 and 7, Bridges Prep reported seven students and between one and four staff members had probable or confirmed cases of COVID. Fifty-five students were quarantined, according to data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Bridges Prep is a public charter school, meaning students don’t pay tuition but must apply to get in. It’s governed separately from Beaufort County School District, whose school board meets Tuesday night and will hear a COVID update from Superintendent Frank Rodriguez.
Jasper County School District announced a move to virtual learning last week, citing “three class closures at several of our elementary schools, and several staff shortages due to COVID.” Students won’t return to in-person classes until Thursday at the earliest.
