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  • Schools Operating on Two-Hour Delay Tomorrow

    Good afternoon! After re-evaluating the road conditions this afternoon as temperatures rose, we have decided to operate on a two-hour delay tomorrow, January 24, 2025.  We are grateful to our district leaders and emergency management officials who scouted secondary roads and dirt roads.  The two-hour delay will give us all extra visibility as we travel to school tomorrow morning.   Please know that the safety of the Barnwell County School District Family is our top priority.  As always, we encourage everyone driving to exercise caution on your commute to and from school.  

    Thursday, Jan 23 2025

  • Schools Reopening

    Barnwell County School District will resume normal operations tomorrow, January 24, 2025.  All schools across the county will be open, and we are excited to welcome back our students and staff. We are grateful to Barnwell County Emergency Management and the National Weather Service for their continued support and guidance during Winter Storm Enzo.  Additionally, we want to thank all of our emergency responders who assisted our community members during the storm. We look forward to seeing everyone back in school tomorrow!

    Thursday, Jan 23 2025

  • Weather Message

    After carefully reviewing the current conditions in our area with county and state officials, Barnwell County School District will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, January 23, 2025.  This closure will not be an eLearning Day, but students may continue to work on assignments they began today as part of their eLearning activities. According to the most recent information shared from emergency management officials, the high temperature today for our area is 34°F, and while some of the ice may melt in the sunlight, the greatest concern remains the potential for refreeze overnight.  Frozen black ice on the roadways poses a significant hazard for travel tomorrow morning.  Although conditions are expected to improve during the day tomorrow, it is not expected to warm up until midday.  This means road conditions are not safe for bus transportation or for our families and staff traveling on the roadways. We continue to encourage everyone to take precautions as you face the impacts of Winter Storm Enzo in our area.  As always, we are grateful to Barnwell County Emergency Management and the National Weather Service for their guidance.  Again, thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we modify district operations to prioritize the safety of our students, families, and staff.

    Wednesday, Jan 22 2025

  • Weather Message

    After reviewing the latest weather forecast with county and state officials, while snowfall is not expected to continue into the day on Wednesday, temperatures are predicted to remain well below freezing throughout the day, which poses concerns for school district operations.   As a result, Barnwell County School District will operate as an eLearning Day on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.   Each school will communicate directly with families regarding the specific eLearning expectations for the day.  As a reminder and in anticipation of the inclement weather moving into our area later today, the district will be releasing early today according to each school’s early release schedule.  This was communicated with all families yesterday via the district’s ParentSquare notifications, as well as notifications from your respective schools. We encourage everyone to take precautions as severe winter weather impacts our area.  As always, we are grateful to Barnwell County Emergency Management and the National Weather Service for their guidance.  As Winter Storm Enzo continues to progress, district leaders will continue monitoring weather conditions in coordination with emergency officials. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we modify district operations to prioritize the safety of our students, families, and staff.

    Tuesday, Jan 21 2025

  • Weather Message

    Due to the forecasted wintry mix and worsening weather conditions predicted in our area, Barnwell County School District will dismiss according to each school’s early release schedule on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.  All school activities, including after-school programs and events, will also be canceled for Tuesday. This decision was made with an abundance of caution and based on the latest information from today’s emergency weather meeting.  The safety of our students, staff, and families is our top priority, and after careful consideration, we believe this decision is in everyone's best interest. We extend our gratitude to Barnwell County Emergency Management and the National Weather Service for their continuous support and guidance.  The district will provide updates regarding Wednesday, January 22, 2025, following tomorrow’s emergency weather meeting with local services as reports continue to develop and evolve. Please note that bitterly cold temperatures are expected throughout the week.  We encourage families to take necessary precautions to stay safe and monitor ongoing local weather updates. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Stay safe and warm!

    Monday, Jan 20 2025

  • Weather Announcement

    To Our BCSD Families: As we are in the midst of the long weekend and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday on Monday, we want you to know that Barnwell County School District will be continually monitoring weather conditions that may impact us this week.  Due to a threat of potential inclement weather, our schools are prepared to operate as an eLearning Day or close if needed. The weather forecast has already been shifting over the last few days, so we will continue to work with Emergency Management and the National Weather Service to determine the most up-to-date conditions as we approach returning to school.  We will have a scheduled weather meeting with emergency management officials on Monday and any changes that may need to be made about school operations for Tuesday would be announced after that meeting. As a reminder to our families, our district is limited to the number of eLearning Days that may be used during a school year.  Due to inclement weather earlier in the school year, we have already used four of our five allowable eLearning Days and made up two additional school days from closures during Hurricane Helene. As always, we appreciate your continued support and understanding!

    Sunday, Jan 19 2025

  • SCDE responds to PowerSchool Data Breach

    The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) notified district superintendents on Wednesday that one of its third party vendors, PowerSchool, was involved in a cybersecurity breach resulting in the compromise of student and teacher data.  According to the SCDE, “this was an international incident over which the state and local districts had no control.”   Please read the press release from the SCDE in its entirety. https://ed.sc.gov/newsroom/news-releases/scde-responds-to-powerschool-data-breach/ Officials from Barnwell County School District are working closely with the SCDE and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to gauge the impact this cybersecurity incident had on our students’ and teachers’ data.  We will share more information as it becomes available from SCDE and PowerSchool.

    Thursday, Jan 09 2025

  • Cell Phone Use in Schools - Guidelines for Students ...

    Please read the attached PDF document:  Personal Electronic Devices Guidelines - Students & Parents.  T he one major change to our guidelines includes students not being able to utilize cell phones at the principal's discretion (e.g., during lunch).   This will take effect when we return from Christmas Break on Tuesday, January 7, 2025.  For more information about cell phone use in schools, as well as Proviso 1.103 that mandated our recent changes to the cell phone policy, visit  https://ed.sc.gov/freetofocus/ .

    Tuesday, Dec 03 2024

  • Cell Phone Use in Schools - Research Infographic

    What does research indicate about cell phone use in schools?   Click the attached Research Infographic, Personal Electronic Devices Infographic.pdf, for more information.  Additionally, the Research Infographic gives you access to the article associated with each statistic by clicking the link.

    Monday, Dec 02 2024

  • Letter to BCSD Families

    Please read the attached Letter to BCSD Families from Superintendent Stapleton. In light of the recent guidance from the South Carolina Department of Education and state law regarding the missed school days due to Hurricane Helene, we want to inform you of an emergency change to our school calendar. As you know, we have experienced several unexpected closures early in the 2024-2025 school year, including three eLearning days in August and one on September 27th.  With the recent aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we also had two full school closure days due to widespread power outages and conditions countywide. To comply with state regulations, we must make up the missed school days from Monday, September 30th and Tuesday, October 1st. After an emergency meeting with district and school leaders and given the limited time we are able to adjust our schedule for the next few months, we will be making an emergency change to the Teacher Inservice Day next week.   Wednesday, October 9th will now be an Early Release Day. Originally designated as a Parent Conference Day with no student attendance, all schools in Barnwell County will operate as a regular school day with early release dismissal times. Each school will send out reminders regarding the specific early release times for their students. We are also in the process of determining the make-up day for the school closure on October 1st and will communicate that information to you as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding and support during this challenging time. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's school.

    Tuesday, Oct 08 2024