South-Carolina

What SC is doing to combat rising rates of students missing school

Published

2 years ago

July 31, 2024

What SC is doing to combat rising rates of students missing school

COLUMBIA, S.C. — More students across the country and in South Carolina are missing school now than in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest data, from the 2022-2023 school year, shows one in four students in the Palmetto State were considered chronically absent from school, just below the national average of 26%.

That state figure is nearly double from the 2018-2019 school year, when South Carolina’s rate was 13.1%.

A student is considered chronically absent when they miss at least 10% of the school year, so 18 days in a standard 180-day calendar.

Some education researchers call chronic absenteeism the greatest challenge facing American public schools post-pandemic, and South Carolina will soon put more focus on combatting it.

“Chronic absenteeism can really impact student achievement and student success academically,” Tenell Felder, communications manager for the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee, said.

The Education Oversight Committee oversees the accountability system for the state’s public schools.

It will soon launch a study and focus groups with South Carolina students to try to get to the heart of this issue and then develop recommendations later this fall.

“That could assist schools, teachers, principals, and parents in making sure that students are indeed present in school and ready to learn,” Felder said.

Studies have shown the negative impacts of chronic absenteeism include students being more likely to read below their grade level as well as later dropping out of school.

South Carolina School Report Cards indicate all districts grapple with chronic absenteeism but in varying degrees, ranging from a statewide low two years ago of 7.3% in Fort Mill to a high of more than half of all students, 51.9%, in Lexington School District Four.

On the higher end was Laurens County School District 56, where nearly one in three students were considered chronically absent.

“It’s just old-fashioned hard work and consistency and persistency, and not giving up,” Assistant Superintendent David Pitts said.

Pitts said the district has taken a hands-on approach to addressing absenteeism that includes making phone calls, not robocalls, for every absence, home visits, and even court orders if it rises to the level of truancy.

In one year, Laurens 56 cut its chronic absentee rate from 31.2% percent to 20.7%, which Pitts attributes to the work of school staff and principals.

“They just would not give up on a kid,” he said. “They would not accept, ‘I’m just not coming to school.’”

You can see the chronic absentee rates for all school districts across South Carolina for the 2022-2023 school year below.

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South-Carolina

Men’s Golf Visits South Carolina for Colleton River Collegiate

Published

9 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Men’s Golf Visits South Carolina for Colleton River Collegiate

BLUFFTON, S.C. – Kentucky men’s golf begins the month of March at the Colleton River Collegiate this Sunday and Monday at Colleton River Club (par 72, 7403 yards).

UK joins a 15-team field for the 54-hole event, which will consist of 36 holes of continuous play on Sunday, followed by 18 holes on Monday. An 8 a.m. shotgun start will kick things off on Sunday, while Monday’s final round will begin with another shotgun start, this time at 7:45 a.m.

UK is paired with Indiana, Kansas State and Ohio State for the first day of play.

The Wildcats will utilize the same starting five, albeit in a different order, as was featured at the Watersound Invitational just two weeks ago. There, the Cats finished seventh in a loaded field and found themselves as high as third place during the final nine holes.

Sophomore Jacob Settles had the best showing of his collegiate career, finishing tied for seventh at 5-under par, while senior captain Jack Schoenberger had his highest finish of the season, placing tied for 14th at 2-under.

Jacob Lang, Luke Coyle and Cole Stockard will complete UK’s starting five alongside Settles and Schoenberger, the fourth time in six events the Wildcats have featured this starting unit.

Freshman Cameron Phillips will tee it up as an individual once again after an impressive showing in the same role at the Watersound where he tied for 29th and had two rounds under par.

Fans can follow along with live scoring on the Scoreboard Powered by Clippd website.

Kentucky Lineup:

Jack Schoenberger: Senior, Alpharetta, Ga
Jacob Lang: Sophomore, Alvaton, Ky.
Jacob Settles: Sophomore, Winchester, Ky
Luke Coyle: Junior, Campbellsville, Ky.
Cole Stockard: Freshman, Dalton, Ga.
Ind. Cameron Phillips: Freshman, Portsmouth, Ohio

Competing Schools (15): Chattanooga, Cincinnati, ETSU, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers

For the latest on UK Men’s Golf follow the Wildcats on X and Instagram @UKmensgolf, and online at ukathletics.com.

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South-Carolina

Biden visits Columbia, thanks SC Democrats for 2020 primary support

Published

21 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Biden visits Columbia, thanks SC Democrats for 2020 primary support

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Former President Joe Biden spoke Friday at the Columbia Art Museum in downtown Columbia at an event hosted by the South Carolina Democratic Party to honor his more than 50 years with the party and to mark his 2020 South Carolina Democratic primary victory.

Biden entered the South Carolina primary having lost Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. His win in the state gave his campaign momentum heading into the rest of the primary calendar.

“People in this room brought my campaign back from the brink — a lot of pundits, people in the press had given up on me,” Biden said.

Biden said South Carolina’s support was central to his path to the presidency.

“If I could just get to South Carolina I could win the nomination, and I knew if I won the nomination I’d win the presidency because I knew what Bill Clinton and Barack Obama knew before me — South Carolina picks presidents,” Biden said.

South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain said Biden’s performance in the state went beyond a primary win.

“Biden didn’t just win, he delivered,” Spain said.

Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., whose endorsement of Biden ahead of the 2020 primary was a key moment in the campaign, attended the event. Clyburn praised Biden’s record of public service.

“There is no American ever who has demonstrated through his service more substance — and I might add sustenance — than Joseph Robinette Biden,” Clyburn said.

Biden also directed remarks at the current Trump administration and called on Democrats to turn out for November’s midterm elections to help flip the House or Senate.

“There’s no time to give up — it’s time to get up, get up, get up, continue to fight,” Biden said.

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South-Carolina

South Carolina Room at CCPL Main Library closes May 1 for 8-10 weeks

Published

2 days ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

South Carolina Room at CCPL Main Library closes May 1 for 8-10 weeks

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Researchers and history buffs will soon have to plan around a temporary closure at the Charleston County Public Library’s Main Library as renovations approach.

The library’s South Carolina Room, located at the Main Library at 68 Calhoun St., will temporarily close to the public beginning May 1, as the building prepares for renovation later this year.

The South Carolina Room is expected to be unavailable for about eight to 10 weeks during the transition. During that time, services, collections and in-person research assistance will not be accessible.

READ MORE | “Charleston County Public Library introduces new Youth Library Card options.”

The department will reopen to the public in a temporary location at 1248 Camp Road, though an official reopening date has not yet been announced.

The South Carolina Room is CCPL’s primary local history and genealogy research department. It preserves and provides access to materials documenting the history and people of Charleston County and South Carolina, including historical documents, maps, photographs, manuscripts, newspapers and other archival resources used for scholarly research, family history and community exploration.

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CCPL said the temporary relocation will allow continued preservation of materials while renovations at the Main Library are underway. Updates on reopening timelines and services will be shared at ccpl.org and through the library’s official communication channels.

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