In the race for South Carolina education superintendent, questions about the Republican nominee's qualifications have arisen. That comes after lawmakers in 2018 passed a requirement that the position-holder have a master's degree. Ellen Weaver, the CEO of conservative think tank Palmetto Promise Institute and GOP nominee, currently lacks a master's degree. After winning the GOP primary Tuesday, Weaver told reporters she'll complete her master's degree in educational leadership in October. Kevin Hall, who has served as a legal counsel to the South Carolina Republican Party, emphasized that the candidate must possess a master's degree on inauguration day — not on election day.

The State House of Representatives this week voted overwhelmingly to replace and restructure the University of South Carolina’s governing board. The 113 to one vote follows a growing lack of confidence by many lawmakers in the current Board of Trustees. Those trustees are elected by the legislature, but botched presidential searches, million dollar payoffs to fired coaches, and public spats with some of the college’s largest donors led to the action on the bill.

South Carolina Democrats lined up more than 1,000 amendments in a symbolic attempt to delay a vote on a bill that would ban transgender students from playing girls' or women's sports in public schools and colleges. Between the four boxes of amendments and a tornado warning that evacuated the chamber, they stretched Tuesday's debate for nearly seven hours. But the Republican majority won, passing the bill on an 82-28 vote about 9:15 p.m. The legislation would require athletes to compete with the gender listed on their birth certificates. About a dozen states have already passed similar legislation. The bill needs one more routine approval before heading to the state Senate.

The South Carolina Senate is debating a bill that would give some poorer or disabled students money so they could pick a private school or public school outside their district. The bill provides up to $6,000 in state money each year. Along with tuition, the money could also go toward textbooks, materials, education services or equipment for disabled students. The program would be limited to students whose family income is low enough to make them eligible for Medicaid and students with disabilities. The program would be limited to 15,000 students. Opponents say the money could be better spent improving public schools for all.

School is supposed to teach kids a thing or two. Pandemic-era schooling's mix of in-class and in-home learning, however, taught them something people don't usually figure out until a lot later – who they really are. Part of South Carolina Public Radio's occasional series 'diSConnected.'

A national nonprofit is giving more than $650,000 in grants to help five historically Black colleges and universities to help preserve their campuses. The National Trust for Historic Preservation this week announced the grants through its HBCU Cultural Heritage Stewardship Initiative. The Washington-based trust aims to help the institutions develop campus preservation plans. The grants are going to Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida; Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi; Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina; Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina; and Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina.

After an investigation into hazing, a Clemson University fraternity has been suspended for four years for violating the university's code of conduct. The Greenville News reports that a probe into the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity revealed hazing incidents that occurred last February. School officials say the incidents involved acts of personal servitude by new members and included "line-ups, berating, morally degrading behavior."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has added eight states to the 19 where students receiving Medicaid coverage will be automatically added to the program offering free or reduced-price school lunches. A news release Tuesday says those states are Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

South Carolina Education Superintendent Molly Spearman says she won't run for a third term. Spearman said Wednesday after 40 years of service as a teacher, lawmaker and education official she wants to devote more time to her family. The 67-year-old superintendent says she plans to keep working to get education out of problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and advocate for students and teachers until her replacement is sworn into office in January 2023. A Republican, Spearman often clashed with lawmakers and others in her party. But she also pushed them toward her key issues — raising teacher pay and their morale, improving education standards, replacing school buses and helping smaller districts get more state support.

South Carolina's Supreme Court has ruled lawmakers can try to prevent local school districts from requiring masks in classrooms. But the ruling is trumped by a federal court decision two days ago that suspended the ban because federal law trumps state law. The state Supreme Court ruling Thursday does say districts can both require masks and follow the state rule if they can find a way to not spend state money enforcing the wearing of face coverings. The federal ruling says the South Carolina Legislature's ban on mask requirements discriminates against medically fragile students who can't feel safe in public schools without face coverings.