Schley County Schools

Dear Parents, Based on the current weather models available, there will be severe weather risks that are substantial during arrival time. The time frame for this system would still exist for a delayed start. For this reason, we will be closed for tomorrow and will resume classes on Friday. Please be safe and monitor these weather conditions for tonight and tomorrow morning.

At this time we are continuing to monitor the forecast for tomorrow's weather. The time frame for the arrival of severe weather Thursday morning is still very wide. The county is also split with two different risk levels. The window of the stronger weather is between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Currently, we have not made any changes in arrival times or made any cancellations. We will continue to monitor all updates prior to 6:00 p.m. today so that we make the best decision for the safety of our students.

March 12, 2021 Dear Parents, As we begin the fourth 9 weeks, I want to thank our local Health Department in Schley County. They have supported our schools in many ways throughout this pandemic. Information and daily guidance has been available nearly 7 days a week! Our teachers and staff were able to receive vaccines today thanks to their drive through set-up. We appreciate their hard work. We look forward to finishing this year strong! Please continue to help us stay safe and healthy by: • Masking up • Staying home when sick • Physically distancing as much as possible • Sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of March 12, 2021 at 4 p.m. Total Number of In-Person Students and Staff: 1151 (students) + 143 (staff) = 1294 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-0, ES students-3, MHS staff-1, MHS students-1 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-0, ES students- 16, MHS staff- 0, MHS students- 14 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

The following groups are now eligible for COVID vaccine in Georgia: • Healthcare workers (physicians, nurses, laboratory technicians, EMS personnel, environmental services, etc.) • Residents and staff of long-term care facilities • Adults aged 65+ and their caregivers • Law enforcement, firefighters, first responders • Funeral home workers who come into direct contact with the deceased • Educators and staff (Pre-K, K-12, DECAL licensed or exempt childcare programs) • Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers:  Intellectual Disability is a disability characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior, which covers many everyday social and practical skills. This disability originates before the age of 22.  A developmental disability is a physical or mental impairment that happens before the age of 22, is expected to last a lifetime, and impacts at least three activities of daily living. Activities of daily living include self-care; receptive and expressive language; learning; mobility; self-direction; capacity for independent living; and economic self-sufficiency. • Parents of children with complex medical conditions who are at high risk for COVID complications:  Malignancies requiring active treatment  Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) including organ transplant (bone marrow or solid organ) within 2 years  Critical congenital heart disease  Asthma (moderate to severe)  Sickle cell disease  Diabetes  Obesity (BMI >95%)  Cystic fibrosis  Significant neurologic injury or condition (e.g. hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, traumatic brain injury, congenital anomaly, acute flaccid myelitis) with functional/developmental impairment (e.g. cerebral palsy, developmental disability, prematurity, mitochondrial disease)  Technology dependence (e.g. BiPAP, trach) The Schley County Health Department will host a vaccination clinic this Friday, March 12 from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. If you or someone you know meet the above criteria, please contact the health department at (229) 937-2208 to schedule your vaccine!

March 5, 2021 Dear Parents, This week marks the end of the 3rd nine weeks as we prepare for report cards to be finalized. The 4th nine weeks is all that remains for the 20-21 school year! Keep up the good work at home to follow the listed guidance. Thank you for your help in monitoring your children daily and exercising caution when any symptoms are present. Please continue to help us stay safe and healthy by: • Masking up • Staying home when sick • Physically distancing as much as possible • Sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of March 5, 2021 at 4 p.m. Total Number of In-Person Students and Staff: 1151 (students) + 143 (staff) = 1294 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-0, ES students-3, MHS staff-0, MHS students-3 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-2, ES students- 18, MHS staff- 0, MHS students- 24 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

The Schley County School System is seeking a full time Maintenance worker. This job includes helping to maintain school buildings and grounds, safely use tools and equipment, follow directions and be able to work in a professional environment. Salary is based on experience and job responsibilities. To apply, download a Non-Instructional application online at http://5il.co/5ito or pick up an application at the Schley County Board of Education, 161 Perry Drive, Ellaville, GA. Completed applications can be mailed to Human Resources at P.O. Box 66, Ellaville, GA 31806 or dropped off at the Schley County Board of Education. For more information call Mr. Tim Whitt at (229) 937-2405.

The Schley County School System is seeking a Full Time Custodian. The Job includes helping to clean and maintain school buildings and grounds, safely using tools, equipment and cleaning supplies, following directions, and working in a professional environment. Salary is based on experience and job responsibilities. For more information about the job, call Mr. Tim Whitt at (229) 937-2405. To apply for this job, call The Staffing People at (229) 924-0476.

February 26, 2021 Dear Parents, As we close out February and look at the little more than 50 remaining school days, thank you for your patience and assistance to get us to this point. Our Friday numbers look better this week and we hope this pattern continues. We will be in the process of preparing for the availability of teacher and staff vaccinations over the next couple of weeks. All of our school procedures will remain the same. Please continue any and all efforts at home as well. This has not gone away. It is important that everyone stay safe and adhere to guidelines. Thank you for your help in monitoring your children daily and exercising caution when any symptoms are present. Please continue to help us stay safe and healthy by: • Masking up • Staying home when sick • Physically distancing as much as possible • Sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of February 26, 2021 at 4 p.m. Total Number of In-Person Students and Staff: 1154 (students) + 143 (staff) = 1297 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-1, ES students-1, MHS staff-0, MHS students-2 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-0, ES students- 12, MHS staff- 0, MHS students- 13 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

February 19, 2021 Dear Parents, I hope everyone gets to enjoy some much needed sun and outside time this weekend! Numbers related to COVID-19 were trending down this week. Staff and student numbers for cases and active quarantines were lower. Thank you for your help in monitoring your children daily and exercising caution when any symptoms are present. Please continue to help us stay safe and healthy by: • Masking up • Staying home when sick • Physically distancing as much as possible • Sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of February 19, 2021 at 4 p.m. Total Number of In-Person Students and Staff: 1154 (students) + 143 (staff) = 1297 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-0, ES students-3, MHS staff-1, MHS students-6 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-0, ES students- 18, MHS staff- 0, MHS students- 26 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

February 12, 2021 Dear Parents, We hope everyone enjoys a long Valentine holiday weekend this week. Monday, February 15 will be a school holiday in recognition of Presidents’ day. Please continue to help us stay safe and healthy by: • Masking up • Staying home when sick • Physically distancing as much as possible • Sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of February 12, 2021 at 4 p.m. Total Number of In-Person Students and Staff: 1154 (students) + 143 (staff) = 1297 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-1, ES students-2, MHS staff-1, MHS students-10 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-0, ES students- 13, MHS staff- 0, MHS students- 62 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

The Middle/High school will be participating in a LokDown drill today. Please be aware that this is just a drill.

February 5, 2021 Dear Parents, As we continue with in person instruction, we will mitigate and assist with contact tracing as much as possible. We depend on the assistance of our parents. Much of the identification and accurate recognition of symptoms, as well as when they occur, come from sources outside of the school setting. Please check your student each day, especially if they are assigned to quarantine. Quarantines are issued when someone is identified as a close contact. A close contact means being within 6 feet of a person with COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more. While this is very difficult at times to investigate and determine, taking precautions to prevent spread is necessary. Your help in the detection from home, at any point when your child doesn’t feel well, is appreciated. Please continue to help us stay safe and healthy by: • Masking up • Staying home when sick • Physically distancing as much as possible • Sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of February 5, 2021 at 4 p.m. Total Number of In-Person Students and Staff: 1166 (students) + 143 (staff) = 1309 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-1, ES students-0, MHS staff-2, MHS students-9 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-1, ES students- 11, MHS staff- 1, MHS students- 73 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

Free Covid-19 Testing in Columbus

January 29, 2021 Dear Parents, Our schoolyear is now past the halfway mark and in-person instruction went well this week. Thank you parents, teachers, bus drivers, lunchroom and maintenance staff for continuing to work to get these days in safely. Please continue to help us stay safe and healthy by: • Masking up • Staying home when sick • Physically distancing as much as possible • Sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of January 29, 2021 at 4 p.m. Total Number of In-Person Students and Staff: 1166 (students) + 143 (staff) = 1309 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-1, ES students-0, MHS staff-1, MHS students-7 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-0, ES students- 12, MHS staff- 1, MHS students- 33 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

Georgia’s Special Education Parent Survey is now available to all families of students with disabilities. The survey takes only a few minutes to complete and can be easily accessed by clicking here: https://survey.gadoe.org/SPEDParentSurvey/Pages/ParentSurvey.aspx

Maintenance Position Open The Schley County School System is seeking a full time Maintenance worker. Job includes helping to maintain school buildings and grounds, safely use tools and equipment, follow directions and be able to work in a professional environment. Salary is based on experience and job responsibilities. To apply, download a Non-Instructional application online at http://5il.co/5ito or pick up an application at the Schley County Board of Education, 204 Perry Drive, Ellaville, GA. Completed applications can be mailed to Human Resources at P.O. Box 66, Ellaville, GA 30806 or dropped off at the Schley County Board of Education. For more information call Mr. Tim Whitt at (229) 937-2405.

January 22, 2021 Parents, We will resume in-person instruction for middle high students on Monday January 25th. Your help is needed on two fronts to allow us to maintain low numbers of students in isolation or quarantine status. If a student or a direct close contact family member exhibits any of the symptoms listed below, be sure to take precautions and do not send your student to school. In addition to this, simply wearing a mask consistently throughout the day provides a common layer of protection for everyone. The limits set within our reopening plan are in place to ensure safety and maximize instructional time. However, active quarantines will likely continue until COVID-19 is under control. This makes school participation very difficult by creating a break with continuous instruction for many students. Despite our teachers’ best efforts to continue in-person instruction, provide assignments, and share instruction with absent students, high case numbers sometimes prevent us from offering face-to-face instruction. The management of all factors continues to be a challenging task. We are very thankful for the proactive steps our parents have taken thus far. Many of our post-Christmas quarantines never placed others at risk because parents took an extra day to watch a symptom or called in to check on a timeframe of exposure. This prevented the need for potential quarantines within the school. Please do not hesitate to call the school with concerns or questions. We will work to get you the information you need. The Schley County DPH has been very helpful and quick to provide us with the needed guidance. Together, we will make it through this pandemic. We thank you for your help and continued support, and we ask you to continue to be vigilant helping to mitigate potential exposure by: · Continuing to observe your child for the following symptoms: Fever/chills, Cough, Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, Fatigue, Muscle/body aches, Headaches, Sore throat, Loss of taste or smell, Congestion/runny nose, Diarrhea, Nausea/vomiting · Masking up · Allowing children to stay home when sick · Physically distancing as much as possible · Washing/sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of January 22, 2021 at 4 p.m. (Elem school only) Total Number of In-Person Students: 525 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-0, ES students-0 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-0, ES students- 14 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

Parents, We will resume in-person instruction for middle high students on Monday January 25th. Your help is needed on two fronts to allow us to maintain low numbers of students in isolation or quarantine status. If a student or a direct close contact family member exhibits any of the symptoms listed below, be sure to take precautions and do not send your student to school. In addition to this, simply wearing a mask consistently throughout the day provides a common layer of protection for everyone. The limits set within our reopening plan are in place to ensure safety and maximize instructional time. However, active quarantines will likely continue until COVID-19 is under control. This makes school participation very difficult by creating a break with continuous instruction for many students. Despite our teachers’ best efforts to continue in-person instruction, provide assignments, and share instruction with absent students, high case numbers sometimes prevent us from offering face-to-face instruction. The management of all factors continues to be a challenging task. We are very thankful for the proactive steps our parents have taken thus far. Many of our post-Christmas quarantines never placed others at risk because parents took an extra day to watch a symptom or called in to check on a timeframe of exposure. This prevented the need for potential quarantines within the school. Please do not hesitate to call the school with concerns or questions. We will work to get you the information you need. The Schley County DPH has been very helpful and quick to provide us with the needed guidance. Together, we will make it through this pandemic. We thank you for your help and continued support, and we ask you to continue to be vigilant helping to mitigate potential exposure by: · Continuing to observe your child for the following symptoms: Fever/chills, Cough, Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, Fatigue, Muscle/body aches, Headaches, Sore throat, Loss of taste or smell, Congestion/runny nose, Diarrhea, Nausea/vomiting · Masking up · Allowing children to stay home when sick · Physically distancing as much as possible · Washing/sanitizing hands regularly Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

Registration Information for out of county students in Pre-K and K for the 2021 - 2022 school year: https://5il.co/onej

Parents, This week has shown an increase in quarantines and isolations among our middle and high school students. While some of our students have not returned to campus due to holiday exposure, we have had new cases for contact tracing this week -- and specifically today -- that will place us above the limits established in our COVID -19 Plan. We will be open for in-person instruction tomorrow at both the elementary and middle/ high school but beginning January 19th, the middle/ high school will operate through distance learning for the week. The elementary school will continue on Tuesday, January 19th with in-person instruction. Lunches for middle/ high students will be sent home on Friday for Tuesday’s meal. Meals for the rest of week will be delivered at designated stops on Wednesday. Pick up locations will be posted. Thank you for your continued support in our efforts to mitigate this virus. We will return to in-person learning at the middle/high school as soon as possible. Brian Hall