Williamsburg County students head back to class

WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Wednesday marks the first day of classes for the nearly 3,000 students across Williamsburg County.

Like many other school districts along the South Carolina coast, students return to class a little earlier than this year under a slightly modified calendar. It’s a schedule Superintendent Dr. Kelvin Wymbs hopes will be fully modified during the next school year.

“The data from surrounding districts and counties that have gone with that model seems to show a gain instead of a lapse in learning because of COVID and the summer, so we are excited about joining that model. We’ll be ready next year to go full speed ahead,” he said.

As for the 2023-24 school year, a new clear bag policy and dress code will be in place.

Students in grades 6-12 will not be allowed to wear garments with an exposed hood inside school buildings; all backpacks and bags must be see-through for all grades. Mesh and colored backpacks are prohibited.

Exceptions to the rule include small non-transparent pouches for personal hygiene items, thermal food containers inside clear lunch boxes, and school-approved carrying cases for band and athletic equipment.

The Williamsburg County School District has a staff of about 500, including 200 teachers, for its nearly 3,000 students. The district is the largest employer in the county.

The district has seven schools and merged two of its high schools last year, C.E. Murray and Kingstree High. “Things went very well considering the vast amount of changes in the new regime. Yes, we are really pleased with the merger,” said Dr. Wymbs.

When it comes to student transportation, Dr. Wymbs said they have bus driver positions filled, but drivers will run multiple routes. And the district only has a few teacher vacancies to fill.