Officials with Horry County Schools have announced make-up days and a date for staff to return to work. 

Lisa Bourcier, with district, says in an email that HCS will make up at least three days as required by S.C. law. The three days include October 8, January 18, and February 18. These days were previously established in the district’s 2018-19 student calender as make-up days. 

Staff will not be requested to report to work on Friday, Sept. 28, but are tentatively being asked, as conditions allow, to return to work on Monday, Oct. 1., according to Bourcier.

First quarter report cards will not be issued on Friday, Bourcier says. “Once a calendar adjustment has been completed, the new date will be announced. The final adjusted calendar will also include new dates for future interim and final report cards.”

No information on when students will return to school is available, but Bourcier says “more information will be forthcoming regarding both a revised student calendar and the additional instructional days that likely will be added to first semester.”

Bourcier’s email also provides answer to questions the district has received from parents and students, including:

  • “Once school resumes, if a student is unable to attend school because of impacts from the flooding, will the absences be excused? Please notify your school’s administration as soon as possible and let them know your particular hardships. Schools will work with parents on an individual basis.”
  • “Can our child remain in his/her base school (i.e., the school serving his/her area of residence) if our family has been temporarily displaced by the flooding? Yes. We will make every effort to ensure that your child remains at his/her base school regardless of your living situation; however, you will need to provide your own transportation.  Please notify your school’s administration of your current address and update your contact information including phone number.”
  • “Can our child remain in his/her base school if our family has been displaced by the flooding and can no longer live in our home for an extended amount of time? Yes. We will make every effort to ensure that your child remains at his/her base school regardless of your living situation. Please notify your school’s administration of your current situation and address and update your contact information including phone number. The school can provide additional contact information for support and resources.”
  • “Our home flooded, and we are temporarily living outside of the Horry County School District boundaries. Is my child still eligible to continue attending his/her base school in Horry County? Yes. We will make every effort to ensure that your child remains at his/her school regardless of your living situation; however, you will need to provide your own transportation.”
  • “We are relocating to another district. How can I transfer my child’s records? Please notify your child’s base school in Horry County Schools that you are requesting a transfer of your child to another school and complete all withdrawal documents. Though your child’s new school typically will contact his/her base school directly to request all school records, to ensure a smooth transfer, you should ask his/her base school in Horry County Schools to send the records as well.” 
  • “Due to the disaster, we may need to apply for Free/Reduced Meals. How do we do that? Please visit https://www.horrycountyschools.net/Domain/170.”
  • “When will school athletics resume?,School athletic directors, in conjunction with coaches, the SC High School League, and the individual regions, are revising the athletic schedules and will communicate additional information once finalized  at https://www.horrycountyschools.net/Page/1056.”
  • “Can I donate or volunteer to help Horry County families impacted by the storm?Yes. Horry County Disaster Relief is being organized by the Waccamaw Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) https://www.disasterhelp.me/ or call 843-915-5908.”

  • “Are there any community outreach or disaster assistance programs to assist families affected by the storm?

    Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov. If you are unable to access the internet, you can also call 1-800-621-3362. Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish). You may also install the FEMA App, available for Apple, Android, and Blackberry mobile devices.

    When you register for disaster assistance either online or by phone, you will need the following to complete your application: Social Security number, address of the location where the damage occurred (pre-disaster address), current mailing address, current telephone number, insurance information, total household annual income, routing and account number for your checking or savings account (this allows FEMA to directly transfer disaster assistance funds into your bank account), a description of your disaster-caused damage and losses.”

For more information on FEMA in Georgetown County click here. For information on FEMA in Dillon, Horry, Marion, and Marlboro counties click here.

“This is uncharted territory for our school district, as we have never experienced such devastation that has left us unable to return to school for 14 consecutive days,” Bourcier says. “Our Facilities and other support staff will continue to work diligently preparing to re-open schools when deemed safe so that we can get back to the business of our primary mission—educating our youth.”