Summertime is already over for some South Carolina students. Six school districts across the state will already be back in the classroom today and half a dozen more will have returned before August begins.
Charleston County schools return to class August 13, just a week prior to the state-mandated day. Berkeley County schools follow a day later.
According to media reports, state law says the first day of school should be no earlier than the third Monday in August, which is Aug. 19 this year. But districts can go back earlier by adopting what’s known as a “year-round modified school calendar,” which gives the district more flexibility in its schedules.
Sherry East, president of the S.C. Education Association, said the modified schedules allow for more breaks throughout the year, but the lack of uniformity statewide can cause issues for moving families.
“Let’s say you lived in Myrtle Beach and you decided to move to Aiken,” she said. “Your child’s already missed three weeks of school, so you’re really putting a student behind if they moved around in our state to one of these districts that started early.”
Across the state, 71 school districts in South Carolina adopted a year-round modified schedule, allowing them to start as early as this week. East added that with so many districts adopting a modified schedule, it makes state law setting the mandatory date obsolete, and suggests that lawmakers decide if the requirement is still needed.
In City Paper news today:
CP OPINION: Strap in for a political roller coaster ride. “So now we’re left with a campaign that America can sink its teeth into — an ex-prosecutor pitted against a recently convicted felon who is also legally considered a sexual predator after a 2023 civil court ruling.”
CP CARTOONS:
CP FOCUS: Taco trek: Follow a trail of tacos around Charleston. Charleston City Paper staffers trekked the Charleston area for years in search of great tacos. Read on for these favorites (listed alphabetically) and then keep on reading for an extensive directory of taco trucks around town.
CP NEWS: Trump policies could place S.C.’s trade at risk, experts say. In the Palmetto State where the economy is booming thanks largely to free trade, foreign investment and flexible labor markets, business leaders and experts are beginning to wonder what price South Carolinians could wind up having to pay for Donald Trump’s Midwest-friendly politics by choosing Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
CP NEWS: Colberts celebrate release of new cookbook. The Gaillard Center and Buxton Books will release tickets at 11 a.m. today for “An Afternoon with Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert,” a Sept. 22 event in celebration of the Colberts’ launch of their collaborative cookbook, Does This Taste Funny? Recipes Our Family Loves.
CP NEWS: Oral history, church restoration planned in Cordesville. The WeGOJA Foundation in Columbia, which promotes South Carolina’s African-American experience, will visit Cordesville in lower Berkeley County later this summer to interview people like Stanley Richmond for an oral history of the small town.
CP NEWS: Southern Smoke introduces mental health program for F&B workers. Southern Smoke has expanded its mission from just emergency relief to mental health in a program called Behind You, named, to echo the warning kitchen workers give when crossing behind another worker.
In other news today:
Charleston police creates position to foster relationships with Hispanic community. As the number of Spanish-speaking people has continued to grow in the Lowcountry, the Charleston Police Department has added a new position in hopes of better connecting to these members of the community.
Charleston considering no wake zones for flooded streets. The proposed ordinance to make it illegal to drive more than 5 mph on flood streets aims to slow drivers — or prevent them from driving into floodwaters at all — so any kicked up wake doesn’t damage adjacent property.
Keith Summey Library to close all day Saturday. The Keith Summey Library will utilize a modified schedule this week due to “operational issues,” according to Charleston County Library officials.
North Charleston mayor reflects on affordable housing projects. North Charleston city officials are reflecting on the progress made for a subject they say is one of the most dire needs in North Charleston.
Feds investigate North Charleston post office after union complaint. The U.S. Postal Service is accused of committing unfair labor practices at its Cross County Road location, National Labor Relations Board documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request state.
Sea Fox done with Charleston Co. parks after months-long controversy. The monthslong controversy surrounding the public-private partnership between Sea Fox Boat Co. and Charleston County Parks has come to an end after Sea Fox terminated its lease with the commission this month.
Charleston city leaders consider plans for new hotel downtown. Plans for the hotel include a 10-story building with 250 rooms. The hotel design has plans for a rooftop restaurant, bar and pool, adding a freestanding four-story building next to the hotel.
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