Education Department to prioritize in-person learning, staffing.

State Education Superintendent Molly Spearman pressed for the return of safe in-class instruction and the recruitment of quality teachers during today's announcement of the department's 2021 legislative priorities.

"While our primary focus must remain on the safe return of students for face-to-face instruction this school year, our state has an opportunity in 2021 to take action on items that will have a profound impact on students, educators and our system of public instruction for years to come," Spearman said in today'snews release. "The priorities that we have developed come as a result of speaking with educators about their needs and observing the obstacles our schools have faced during the past year. I look forward to working with the members of the General Assembly to address these challenges head on and ensuring we move South Carolina's education system in the right direction."

The call for a measured return to face-to-face teaching and additional mental, physical and emotional health resources for schools followed the arrival of in-person students to most Upstate classrooms.

Traditional elementary and middle school students in Greenville County schools returned to a five-day week of physical attendance in the classroom on Jan. 4, according to a news release, until further notice of staffing shortages. Schools in Spartanburg's District 7 also phased into full-time in-person teaching on Jan. 5, while other districts in the county continued hybrid scheduling.

An anomaly, Laurens County School District 55, will remain entirely online for the foreseeable future.

The district, serving communities in the city of Laurens, Gray Court, Hickory Tavern and the...