attendance first day for all students: monday, august 24 ... 2020.pdflet’s go back to school . 4 ....
TRANSCRIPT
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back to school information
1DAY Physical
Attendance
Attendance Plan
CONNECTFirst day for all students: Monday, August 24, 2020
RETURN TO SCHOOL ED
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i index Understanding the Roadmap: Attendance Plan 1 and Beyond 3
Let’s Go Back to School 4
Quick Reference Calendar 5
One Stop Shopping with Backpack 6
Love the Bus! 7
First Look: Review of Materials 7
School Safety and Security 8-9
Let’s Eat!/New Elementary School Start Time 10
Supporting Your Child’s Behavior 11
Regular Attendance 12
Technology for Every Student 12
Graduation Plus 13
Immunizations 13
Covid 19 Exclusions 14
Covid 19 Information 15 -16
Contact Information 17
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i Understanding the Roadmap: Attendance Plan 1 and Beyond Remember the time you forgot how the Roadmap attendance plan works so you ran to your kitchen and found the chart you printed out a few weeks ago taped to the side of your refriger-ator beneath a stack of expired pizza coupons? You shouted, “Eureka!” and proceeded to review the chart.
Okay, so that never happened, but if you DO ever decide to print our Roadmap, just know it’s a handy little tool and oh-so easy to understand.
How so? Take, for example, Attendance Plan 1, the plan Greenville County Schools plans to start with. Under this plan, students attend in-person school one day a week and spend the other four days eLearning.
To maintain social-distancing, students are divided into four color-groups that determine which day of the week they at-tend. In most cases, the color-groups are decided by the first letter of the student’s last name.
Those whose last names begin with A-D are blue, E-K are red, L-Q are green and R-Z are purple. However, families whosechildren have different last names can request a change incolor assignment to match their siblings. Once approved, thedays of the week they attend will be based on that color.
Blue students attend Monday, red students on Tuesday, green on Wednesday and purple on Thursday. On the four days students are NOT in school, they will take part in eLearning by watching instructional videos, conducting research, doing reading assignments and completing work that will prepare them for their next in-person instructional day.
On Attendance Plan 2, which allows for two days of in-person attendance, blue and green students attend on Monday, red and purple on Tuesday, blue and green again on Wednesday, and red and purple on Thursday, with eLearning for everyone on Friday. Make sense?
First day for all students: Monday, August 24, 2020 Plan 5 is our favorite because it assumes Greenville County students are in school five days a week just like normal. And that’s it! There’s nothing more to explain about Attendance Plan 5!
Attendance Plan 0 is pretty easy, too. It’s the opposite of Attendance Plan 5. Instead of attending in-person school five days a week, students attend zero days and do five days of eLearning instead.
1DAY Physical
Attendance
Attendance Plan
The bottom line is this: regardless of the attendance schedule, students will spend five days a week in class, whether it’s physical in-person classes at their school or at home on their Chromebooks.
Worried you’ll forget how the Roadmap works? Print out the chart and tape it to your fridge. You’ll be glad you did!
Visit our Parent Resource page to view the complete Roadmap
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Attendance Plan1 Explained:
Let’s Go
1 DAY Physical
Attendance
Attendance Plan
BAck To SchooL First day for all students:Monday, August 24, 2020
The school year begins on Attendance Plan 1
Blue GroupA-D Monday
Red GroupE-K Tuesday
Green GroupL-QWednesday
Purple GroupR-Z Thursday
All GroupseLearningFridays
oNe Day Four Daysin-person attendance eLearning attendance
Will students go to school in person?Students who are not in the virtual program will start the new school year on Attendance Plan 1. That means children will attend in-person school one day each week and participate in eLearning on the four days they are not in school in person.
How do I know what day my student attends school in person? Student are assigned to a color group based on the first letter of their last name and will attend in-person on their designated day. They will participate in eLearning on the other four days each week.
MON, AUGUST 24 TUES, AUGUST 25
at all times.
What if I need to change my child’s color group? Parents who need to change their child’s color group due to childcare issues or transportation should complete this form. Revising student groups is a very complex process, so please use this option only if necessary. Changes are based on space availability on buses and classroom capacity in the school, taking social distancing into consideration. Please allow a few days for changes to be processed.
For information on Attendance Plans and other important back-to-school news scan the QR code above or visit our Parent Resource page: http://tiny.cc/ReturnToSchool
Back-to-i
QUESTIONS? email [email protected] or call 355-3100 and say “Service Center.”
#gcsSTRoNG
Our target is to safely return students and teachers to 5-day in-person school.
Why are we only going to schoolin-person 1 day each week? On Attendance Plan 1, only one quarter of students are in the building each day. Fewer students in attendance lessens risk to students, teachers, and staff by allowing for 6 feet of social dis-tancing (as recommended by CDC and DHEC)
Will the Attendance Plan changeduring the school year? GCS will review the weekly updated spread matrix data posted by DHEC to guide any shifts between the 0,1,2 and 5 plans. Any changes made, absent a dramatic swing in data, will be announced to parents and staff providing them at minimum a 5-calendar-day notice prior to implementation. Ideally, this will be balanced with the goal of aligning any change to the start of a school week.
First Day of In-Person School by Group:
In-Person Blue Group In-Person Red Group
WED, AUGUST 26 In-Person Green Group THURS, AUGUST 27 In-Person Purple Group
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i Quick Reference Calendar: Important School Year EventsThe first day of school for Greenville County Schools students is Monday, August 24, 2020. The last day is Friday, June 4, 2021. South Carolina law restricts public school districts from beginning school prior to the third Monday of August. It also requires school calendars to include 180 attendance days, three built-in “snow” days, and 10 teacher professional development days. However, because GCS now offers virtual learning, we no longer need three “snow days.” These days – March 18, April 2, and April 23, will become student and staff holidays.
The last day of school before Winter break will be Friday, December 18 and is a half-day. The first day back will be Monday, January 4,
August 2020
24 MondayFirst Day of School
31 Monday4K Buses Start
February 2021
5 Friday4K Half-Day
15 MondayPresident’s Day*
September 2020
7 MondayLabor Day*
25 Friday4K Half-Day
March 2021
10 Wednesday4K Pre-registrationfor 2021-22 Ends
19 FridayStudent Holiday/Teacher Prof. Dev. Days*
24-26Wed. - Friday4K Screenings(No 4K Classes)
October 2020 Friday23 Student Holiday/Teacher Prof. Dev. Days*
29 ThursdayReport Cards
April 2021
Thursday1 Report Cards*
5-9 Monday - FridaySpring Break*
Friday30 4K Half-Day
2021. Spring break is slated for the week of April 5-9. The last two days of the year (June 3-4) will be half-days for students. Other stu-dent holidays include Labor Day (Sept. 7), Thanksgiving Break (No-vember 25-27), Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January18), President’s Day (February 15), Memorial Day (May 31), and two professional development/teacher workdays (October 23 and March 19).
The Superintendent determines the school calendar after receiving recommendations from the Calendar Committee. Those recommen-dations are based on State requirements, input from parent groups and school faculties, and factors such as required testing dates set by the State Department of Education.
November 2020
3 TuesdayElection Day*
13 Friday4K Half-Day
25-27Wed. - FridayThanksgiving Break*
May 2021
31 MondayMemorial Day*
December 2020
1-4 Tuesday - Friday5K and First Grade Registration for2021-22
18 FridayHalf-Day
21-31Monday - Friday,Monday - TuesdayWinter Break*
June 2021
1-4Tuesday-FridayHigh SchoolGraduations
3-4Thursday-Friday-Half-Days (All)
4 FridayHalf-Day/Last Day(All)
January 2021 Friday1 Winter Break*
11 Wednesday4K Pre-registrationfor 2021-22 Begins
18 MondayMLK Day*
21 ThursdayReport Cards
July 2021
Have a Great Summer!
See you in August! * Student Holiday
For a detailed, downloadable calendar visit the GCS website -
www.greenville.k12.sc.us
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i One-Stop Shopping with Backpack Many GCS students already know the benefits of using Backpack as a one-stop shop to apply for special pro-grams or check grades, assignments, lunch balances, graduation progress, scores on the SAT and ACT, and other information. Now parents have the same access, and can also use Backpack to change contact and demographic information, update the list of individuals allowed to pick up their child from school, and ensure they receive important alerts and notifications from the school or district. Parents will also be able to invite others (i.e. grandparents, babysitters, etc.) to have viewing rights to their child’s information without giving them access to change any data or pick up rights.
What’s Next? Because Parent Backpack gives you access to import-ant student information and the ability to revise key in-formation, your students’ school must verify your identity and proof of custody as a parent or guardian. Parents/ guardians will need to present in person or provide dig-ital copies of the following documents via email, fax, or video meeting to verify their account with their student’s school.
Items that may be needed for verification:
Government Issued Photo ID
Legal Documents Confirming their Rights to a Student Government Issued Photo ID; State/County Issued
Birth Certificate; Divorce/Separation Documents; Court-Ordered Guardianship; Student Emancipated by Age 18 should provide Government Issued Photo ID and
Birth Certificate; Notarized Educational Affidavit; Notarized Custodial Parent Affidavit
Statement confirming the email address they used to create their Parent/Guardian Backpack account
Statement confirming if they live with the student and/or receive postal mail with a signature
Create a Backpack Account
Go to https://parents.gcsbackpack. com
Click on the I’m a Parent button.
Enter a valid email address and create a 10-character password
Complete your name and click “Create My Parent Account” button.
When you receive a confirmation email, click on “Activate Your Parent Backpack Account.”
Clicking will take you to the Parent Backpack log in screen. Log in us-ing your email and newly created password.
Click on “My Students” to link your account to your child(ren). Have a copy of your student’s latest grade report handy because you will need your Student’s ID Number. If your child is in his/her first year in GCS and you do not know the ID number, contact the school.
Click “Add a Student” and complete the requested informa-tion. Click “Request to Add a Student.” You will receive a mes-sage that your request has been successfully submitted to the administrative clerk at your student’s school for review.
A Great Start! 2021-22 Enrollment Information Parents wishing to enroll new students for the 2021-22 school year should print and complete enrollment forms, then scan or photograph the required documentation. Once complete, please contact the assigned school to determine the best time to turn in the forms and complete the enrollment process. All families should complete the transportation form to indicate how the child will be transported to school (walk, car, bus). Enrollment and transportation forms can be found under the Parent tab on the GCS website.
At Risk 4K-ProgramsFour-year-old kindergarten is a child’s first experience in school and provides opportunities for children to learn foundational skills necessary to be successful in kindergarten. Through painting, building, and role playing, they learn cooperation, sharing, and following rules in a classroom with a certified teacher and assistant. A limited number of spaces are available and children selected for At-Risk 4K programs must demonstrate academic/de-velopmental needs and/or risk factors such as low family income and low parent education level. Your child must turn four years old on or before September 1, 2021 to be considered for the 2021-22 school year.
4K pre-registration for the 2021-22 school year will be held January 11 to March 10, 2021. Screening for pre-registered children will take place March 24-26, 2021.
5K and First GradeIn kindergarten, students begin to build their skills in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. The activities a kindergarten teacher incorporates into lessons teach students to read sight words, learn to draw conclu-sions, and use technology to explore. Children who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2020, must enroll in kindergarten, unless the parent or legal guardian signs a waiver. Children who will be six years old on or before September 1 must enroll in first grade.
Kindergarten and first grade registration for the 2021-22 school year will be held December 1-4, 2020.
Be sure to visit the Parent section of the GCS website for enrollment forms, transportation request forms, and other information you’ll need to enroll your child. 6
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i Love the Bus! As the largest school district in South Carolina, we are also the largest trans-porter of students to and from school each day, with over 360 bus routes daily. Children can ride the school bus to and from school if they live 1½ miles or farther from their assigned school.
We need your help! It’s very important that you let us know when you change your home address, cell phone number, or home phone number. School Mes-senger, our automated calling system, is used to contact parents in the event of a bus delay or other concern. The system calls the phone number we have on file. If your contact information changes, please be sure to communicate the changes with your child’s school. This is especially important for the various attendance plans that could be used.
Parents of Young RidersIf you’re the parent of a 4K, 5K, or first grade student, you must be present at the bus stop at the morning pickup and the afternoon drop-off. If you are unable to be there, you may designate another adult or a student who is in the fourth grade or higher to represent you. This person must be in the possession of the matching tag to the younger student.
If you or your representative is not present at drop-off with the matching tag, your child will be taken back to his or her elementary school. School staff will contact you, but if you cannot be located, the matter may be referred to the GCS Law Enforcement Division and/or the Greenville County Department of Social Services. Your child may also lose bus privileges.
Bus SafetyBuses are equipped with video surveillance equipment that is used to view student and employee conduct. For the safety of all bus riders, we have rules that must be followed while riding the bus. If necessary, the driver will report your child for offenses such as profanity, littering, or refusing to follow directions. More severe offenses such as fighting, weapons, alcohol or tobacco, or actions that endanger others could result in suspension from riding the bus or other measures.
School administrators review and respond to school bus discipline referrals. A complete copy of school bus guidelines is posted on the Transportation section of the GCS website.
For more information, email: [email protected] or call 355-1289
NEW FOR 2020-21 Cleaning and DisinfectingSchool Buses Buses are wiped down in high touch areas after each morning and afternoon drop-off for each school level. Buses are also disinfected using a spray method and approved disinfectants after morning and evening routes.
Masks The South Carolina Department of Education and Greenville County Schools require masks to be worn by all students at all times while on the bus, unless the student has a note from a licensed medical provider.
First Look | Review of Materials
Teachers provide a variety of resources to make learning relevant and interesting. Materials may include textbooks, handouts, printed literature, videos, online programs and software, digital media, and other resources.
Parents can review all instructional materials used in their child’s classroom. Students are not required to use materials that offend them or their parents. An alternative assignment will be given to students who opt out of a lesson because of the content.
Prior to instruction on sex education, schools mail information to parents and invite them to preview the information that will be taught. Parents have the right to exempt their child from all or parts of the unit. Requests to excuse their child must be submitted in writing to the principal. Exempted students will study other health-related topics.
Board Policies IFA and KNBA provide additional information on Instructional Materials.
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i School Safety and Security How Safe is My Child’s School?
School safety is on everyone’s mind, and rightly so. Parents send their children to school each day expecting them to be super-vised, cared for, educated, and returned safely at the end of the day. The good news is that statistically schools are still among the safest places for children.
Safety Plan and Drills Although it is not possible to prevent every potential threat, school safety and emergency preparedness are nothing new in Greenville County Schools and are both on-going and intentional. For years, we have had district-wide and individualized school all-hazard plans that provide preparedness for and response to events ranging from chemical spills to earthquakes, bus wrecks, fires, tornadoes, and active threats, such as a shooter. As part of those preparedness and response plans, we have developed close partnerships with all the law enforcement agencies that serve our community. We work closely together to review and, if necessary, revise our procedures after every serious incident, no matter where it occurs.
The main outcome of that intentionality is preparedness. Each year, our employees are trained on a number of safety issues, including the Safe Schools Climate Act, bloodborne pathogen ex-posure, and active threat response. All school personnel conduct both evacuation and shelter-in-place drills throughout the year to practice appropriate responses to possible emergencies.
Greenville County Schools’ active threat response is built around Run/Hide/Fight options-based strategies that are the essential response elements of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) training, ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evade) training, ALERRT/ CRASE (Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training/ Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events), and other pro-grams. Schools conduct multiple lockdown drills each year so that students and teachers develop muscle memory around what to do in an emergency.
Parents sometimes ask why we teach students to lock the door and hide instead of fleeing during a serious situation like an active threat. Though we build our response plan around Run/ Hide/Fight, the simple fact is that during most of the school day, students are in classrooms. When an active threat situation be-gins, it is hard to know important tactical information such as the
number and location of assailants. Without that key information, sheltering-in-place, also known as locking down, is the safest alternative.
The Sandy Hook Advisory Commission was created by the Connecticut governor in the aftermath of that tragedy. This com-mission reviewed all known historical active shooter events in schools and determined locked classroom doors are an important deterrent. Classroom doors at Sandy Hook remained unlocked during that event. Classroom doors in Greenville County remain locked throughout the school day. If doors are not already closed, all it takes is a flick of the wrist to secure the classroom.
Another result of our intentional focus on school safety comes in the form of ongoing updates to our buildings, such as secure “capture” areas at each school entrance, upgraded and ex-panded security cameras, full-time school resource officers at each middle and high school, enhanced off-duty patrols at GCS centers and elementary schools, and assessments by an outside security agency of future needs for fencing, vehicle barricades, and other physical structures. Our buildings and visitor control procedures are designed to make unauthorized access to our schools as difficult as possible.
All schools in Greenville County have a single entry point and all visitors, including parents, must be checked against the National Sex Offender Registry before they are allowed beyond the front office. Vendors, community volunteers, or contractors who are found on the registry are not allowed in the school. Parents on the registry are accompanied by a school district employee at all times and cannot participate as field trip chaperones or in any capacity that could bring them in unsupervised contact with other students. Level II volunteers are those who participate in field trips or volunteer at the school and may be alone with students. Level II volunteers are not only checked against the sex offender registry, but also must clear a national criminal background check every three years.
Finally, we work hard to build strong and trusting relationships among our students, faculty, staff, and volunteers. We also provide academic, emotional, and mental health supports to struggling students in the form of counselors, mental health pro-fessionals, social workers, and mentors. Growing up is difficult, but we never want our students to believe violence toward self or others is the answer to a difficult problem.
EMERGENCY COMPACT
Incident and Emergency Communication
Our goal is to notify parents of an incident or emergency as quickly as possible. We strive to provide accurate information in the timeliest manner possible, while ensuring appropriate management of the situation.
We Ask for Your Trust We care about your children. We have lockdown plans, evacuation plans, and reunification plans, but at the beginning of an emergency we may not know all the responses that will be required.
We know you will be worried and anxious. We want to provide you with accurate information, but every emergency has an element of chaos to it, and it takes time to sort through all the information to determine an accurate timeline of events.
The Process When an incident occurs at any of our schools, our school personnel work directly with law enforcement and other First Responders. Our primary focus is protecting students and staff members.
Communication is secondary. The district will use school messenger, text alerts, e-mail, our website, media, and social media to share information as soon as we are able.
Challenges News outlets listen to the police scanner and they compete for viewer interest. Typically, news stations will run “we are hearing reports…” which may have no validation. Individuals and/or reporters who do not have an official role in our schools may post rumors and/or inaccurate information.
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What If...? In the event of a serious emergency at your child’s school, it is important not to act on your first instinct and rush to the school. Law enforce-ment will set up a perimeter and you will not be allowed inside. Even worse, a rush of parents to an emergency site could slow the emergency response vehicles and make it more difficult to provide emergency services. More than likely your child will be transported to a pre-determined reunification site for pickup. We have extensive reunification plans and processes already in place. In the event of an emergency, it is best to stay close to your phone, computer, and television. GCS will call with updates on the situation and let you know where and when you can be reunited with your child. We will also utilize social media, the district website, and local mass media to share information. Parents or guardians who want to receive text alerts in the event of an emergency or unexpected school closing should make sure they have a text-enabled phone as the preferred contact number for their students. If you do not know what number is listed as pre-ferred for your student(s), join Parent Backpack (information on page 6) or contact your school’s front office.
See Something. Say Something. You may be asking yourself what can be done to help keep Greenville County Schools safe. There are many answers, including talking and listening to your child, asking probing questions, being aware of their mood swings and social media posts, monitoring their friend-ships, and offering them your support and understanding. Most importantly, if your child sees something that seems threatening, suspicious, inappropriate, or frightening, tella school administrator, report it to law enforcement, or e-mail us at [email protected].
Parents or students can report bullying or any threaten-ing behavior on the GCS Bullying Hotline 864-45-BULLY (864-452-8559) or at [email protected] or by clicking the bullying button on district Chromebooks. An anonymous report can be made on the GCS website. Go to www.greenville.k12.sc.us and click the Bullying and Threat Reporting link at the bottom of the page. Keeping schools safe is everyone’s responsibility.
Ensuring the safety and security of our students, schools, and employees is not an event. There will never be a checklist we can complete that says we are done. Instead, we pledge to you that we will continue to seek advice and counsel from experts, always be open to new ideas, continually seek to develop positive cultures and trusting relationships, and always stay focused on school safety.
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The be-havior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time and is an issue that can lead to an unsafe school en-vironment. Beginning as early as kindergarten, Greenville County Schools teaches students about bullying and why it is never okay. All our schools have character education programs that address bullying behavior and what to do if it happens.
We are Never Done
EMERGENCY COMPACT Continued
Students often text parents during an emergency. In some cases the perspective of an individual witness gives an inaccurate portrayal of an incident as a whole.
The district will not communicate rumors or inaccurate information, because this type of action would jeopardize trust and our credibility.
Help Us In the event of an emergency situa-tion, please do not call the school. You may tie up phone lines that are needed for an emergency response. Also, please refrain from going to your child’s school, because you can interfere with the ability of First Responders to do their jobs.
Our Promise – The Truth We will phone, e-mail, tweet, and post information when there is a serious incident.
We must communicate what we know – when we know it – without jeopar-dizing the investigation or safety of the people within the school.
In a serious situation we may send multiple communications as more information becomes available. For example, our first communication may simply say, “School X is on lockdown. There are reports of an intruder on campus. Do not attempt to come to the campus. We will update you as soon as possible.”
Please remember communication in an emergency is difficult. We will do our best to provide accurate, up-to-date information in a timely manner.
This compact was adapted from the Kirkwood (Mo.) School District.
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Let’s Eat! #SchoolFoodRocksGreenville County Schools’ Food and Nutrition Services is recognized as the nation’s leading school foodservice program. 750 dedicated foodservice pro-fessionals provide 82,000 nutritious and delicious meals every day. Breakfast is provided free of charge to all students in Greenville County Schools. From the closure of schools in March 2020 due to COVID-19 through the start of the new school year, FANS served more than two million meals to the children of Greenville County.
Greenville County Schools cafeteria staff incorporates scratch and speed scratch cooking for the vast majority of the meals we serve. High quality items including Certified Angus Beef and other minimally processed proteins are utilized in all of our recipes. A wide variety of fresh fruits and steamed vegeta-bles are offered daily along with a salad bar three times each week.
Chef-centered menus are developed through partnerships with local and national chefs and student-led focus groups. Our recipe development team ensures that our menus are not only healthy, but they also mimic the trendy menu items our students eat when they are in the community.
NEW FOR 2020-21 New Elementary School Start Time Greenville County Schools has made a 15-minute shift in the elementary school start time beginning in August to ensure on-time drop off for high school bus riders. By shifting elementary bus rider drop off to 7 AM and start the school day at 7:45 AM instead of 8 AM, we are able to add 15 minutes to the window of time buses have to complete secondary routes, without extending the workday for elementary teachers.
CDC & 7:45 AM–2:15 PM Elementary 8:30 AM–3:15 PM Middle School 8:45 AM–3:45 PM High HALF-DAY HOURS CDC & Elementary | 7:45 AM - 11:45 AM Middle | 8:30 AM - 12:45 PM High | 8:45 - 1:15 PM
NEW FOR 2020-21 Please click here to view our Return to School Plan for complete details on how meals will be served on each Attendance Plan and for students in the Virtual Program.
LUNCH
$2.50 DAILY
OR $12.50 WEEKLY
BREAKFAST
FREE
ALL STUDENTS 82,000
Healthy Meals Served Each Day
WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? Menus are posted at gcsfans.com and in school newsletters.
FREE OR REDUCED PRICE MEALS If you think your child qualifies, complete appropriate forms on the first day of school. Please submit one application per family.
PAYING FOR MEALS Students may pay daily or prepay for meals. Pay online with a credit or debit card at www.gcsfans.com.
QUESTIONS? Parents/guardians are responsible for meal payments. If you have a question about your account balance, contact the food service manager at your child’s school.
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i Supporting Your Child’s Behavior! Student Behavior If your child struggles to behave at school, reach out to his or her teacher. Parents and teachers should work as partners in order to successfully channel student behavior. Let your child’s teacher know if he or she is shy, talkative, or high energy. You can also help your child’s teacher know what works for you when your child’s behavior is inappropriate. Working together, you can give your child a positive start to the school year and help your teacher keep all students on task.
Greenville County Schools often uses PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) to teach students good behavior and provide motiva-tion. Sometimes parents can help incentivize good behavior by setting expectations and providing rewards. For example, a parent may say, “If you stay on green every day this week, you and I will go to the park on Saturday.” Incentives don’t have to be big or expensive, they just need to provide a positive image for the child to visualize when he or she is tempted to act out.
Student Discipline Corporal punishment, defined by spanking, paddling, slapping, or otherwise striking a student, or causing the commission of these acts on a student, is forbidden in Greenville County Schools. Instead, discipline may include detention, demerits, in-school or out-of-school suspension, withdrawal of privileges, referral to an outside agency, restitution of damages, or expulsion, which is the banning of a student from school for the remainder of the school year or longer.
Serious or chronic student misbehavior falls into three general categories of discipline offenses, with Level I offenses being the least serious. Level I offenses include lying, cheating, interfering with instruction, abusive or profane language, cutting
similar situations. Level I offenses can result in discipline ranging from a verbal reprimand to suspension or with-drawal of privileges.
Level II offenses include fighting, vandalism, abusive language, bullying, harassment, refusal to obey, threats, stealing, or disrupting instruction, among other things. Level II offenses will result in more serious school-level disciplinary action. Depending on the circumstances and the harm caused to the victims, some offenses, such as fighting, can lead to criminal charges.
It is important to know that even vague threats such as “killing, shooting, punching, taking out, or messing up” a school, its employees, or other students, has serious consequences. Given the current climate regarding school safety and security and the focus on “red flags” that may indicate violent tendencies, Greenville County Schools takes every threat seriously and engages the services of local law enforcement to determine the validity and seri-ousness of each threat. We all occasionally say things we don’t mean, but all threats made at or against school have serious consequences.
Level III misconduct, such as the possession, distribution, or sale of alcohol or controlled substances, bomb threats, sexual offenses, arson, assault, ganging, threat of bodily harm, or the possession of a weapon, results in a recom-mendation for expulsion and requires school personnel to notify law enforcement for the purpose of a criminal investigation. Such behavior leads not only to school dis-cipline, but may also result in criminal charges. State law requires that any student in possession of a gun on public school property be expelled for a calendar year, even if no threat was made and the gun was never removed from a book bag or vehicle. It is also important to know knives, brass knuckles, and even gaming devices such as Airsoft guns, are not allowed on school property and will result in suspension or expulsion. In short, remind your children that school is no place for weapons of any kind.
What if My Child is Suspended or Recommended for Expulsion? Suspension is the barring of a student from school and school activities for up to 10 school days for any one offense. Suspended students cannot be on school grounds, school buses, or attend any school event in the daytime or nighttime. This includes athletic events. School administra-tors will contact the parents/guardians of any child who is suspended. If, after meeting with the school’s principal, you believe your child’s suspension is unfair or unwarranted, you may appeal the decision to the District Ombudsman at 355-3164 or 355-3973.
Expulsion means the removal of a student for the rest of the school year or a calendar year. If a student is expelled from Greenville County Schools, he or she cannot be on the grounds of any GCS school or bus, nor can the student attend any school event or function during the day or at night.
GCS treats expulsion as a last resort and each year only about 50 of our 77,000 students are expelled. As stated earlier, Level III misconduct requires principals to recommend the students for expulsion, but only a fraction of those students are actually expelled. Once an expulsion recommendation is made, the student goes before an impartial hearing officer. The purpose of this hearing is to ensure fair and equitable disciplinary consequences for all students. Based on this hearing, many students are assigned to one of our alternative schools or are returned to their regular school following a period of suspension.
The entire Student Behavior Code is available in Board Policy JCDA. The full text of that policy is available on the GCS website at www.greenville.k12.sc.us by clicking on the Board of Trustees link on the left side of the page. Scroll down to School Board Policies and you’ll see a link to the School Board Policy Manual.
NOT ALLOWED ON SCHOOL PROPERTY
Weapons Firearms, Knives, BB Guns, Airsoft, Look-alike Weapons, etc. Incendiary Devices
class, tardiness, unlawful absences, the forgery of Alcohol notes or excuses, misuse of a cell phone, and other Drugs
Tobacco
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i Regular Attendance= Success in School and Life After an absence, students must submit a written excuse within two days of their return to school. The excuse must be signed by his or her parent or legal guardian or a health care profes-sional. The written excuse should include the reason for and the date of the absence. If a student fails to bring a valid excuse to school, his or her absence will be recorded as unlawful.
Parents should contact their school’s principal if their child misses more than 10 school days or more than 5 days in one semester for schools on a block schedule. A student must attend the majority of a class session during a school day to receive credit for that class.
Complete details on attendance, absences, truancy, and tardi-ness are available in Rule JBD, found in the GCS policy manu-al. The manual can be accessed at www.greenville.k12.sc.us.
NEW FOR 2020-21 Virtual Program - Attendance will be taken daily in the GCS Virtual Program. If a student is absent, the parent can submit a parent note or a photo of medi-cal documentation of illness to the administrator or to the attendance clerk at your child’s assigned school. Students in the Virtual Program will be counted absent any time they go the entire school day (until midnight) without logging into Google Classroom and working on that day’s assignments.
In-Person - Students who do not attend school or class on their in-person day(s) will be counted absent, and the parent will be notified of the absence via the School Messenger system. If a student is unable to physically attend school or log in and complete work, the parent should provide a note or excuse explaining the absence. Parents may submit excuses for ab-sences to the attendance clerk by fax, email, or online Google form. After 10 absences, only medical docu-mentation will be accepted.
Student Tech Support Call 355-HELP for assistance with school- issued student devices
Student Chromebooks that require repair can be swapped out for another device at one of our four Career Centers. Virtual Students: Monday – Thursday, 8 AM – 4 PM at any career center
In-person Students: Monday – Thursday, 8 AM – 4 PM at any career center, or bring your Chromebook to school for replacement on your next attendance day
Technology for Every Student Technology plays a vital role in preparing students to be inno-vative thinkers, creative problem solvers, and expert collabora-tors. With the introduction of Chromebooks for every student in grades 4K through 12, we are expanding and enhancing the way teachers instruct and students learn.
By introducing the use of technology in every subject area, per-sonalized learning gives students equal access to technology, provides more opportunities for student engagement, and sup-ports the district’s Graduation Plus initiative focusing on college and career readiness for all students.
Greenville County Schools believes that technology is an im-portant resource for enhancing the education of students with the most effective web-based tools and applications for learning. To provide students with access to web-based resources and to comply with federal regulations, including the Family Educa-tional Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), pertaining to the confidentiality of student information, Greenville County Schools has consid-ered the educational value of and entered into agreements with several third-party computer software applications and web-based services. These third-party providers include Edmodo, Google Apps for Education, Office 365 for Education, and other similar educational programs. A list of the programs with the terms of use and privacy policy for each can be found at: goo.gl/ z9Jz4Y.
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i Graduation Plus Building a Better Graduate | Creating College- and Career-Ready Graduates
In the wildly successful book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Ste-phen Covey taught the world to “begin with the end in mind.” The end result of a K-12 education has always been a high school diploma, but in GCS we want morefor our students.
Greenville County bills itself as the economic engine of South Carolina, and rightly so, but even here the majority of high-paying jobs requires employees to have more than a high school diploma. Our Graduation Plus initiative is focused on providing students with opportunities to earn college credits and/or industry certifications while still in high school. In fact, our goal for 2023 is that 90% of our high school graduates will also have college or career experience when they leave Greenville County Schools.
Preparing students for an industry career, for example, may include earning certifi-cations in welding, mechatronics, or control systems, or a college degree in engi-neering, management, finance, or another related major. Put simply, every sector of our economy, from health care to automobile manufacturing, has diverse job op-portunities with diverse educational requirements. The common factor is that almost all require training or education beyond high school, and we want to make sure our students know their options and know what is required to meet their goals.
To support the G-Plus initiative, we begin conversations about careers while stu-dents are still in elementary school. An early focus on reading and literacy helps ensure students have a strong academic foundation and the ability to learn about the world. In middle school students complete a career assessment and develop an Individualized Graduation Plan (IGP) that helps them determine their areas of interest. In high school, students can use their electives to focus on a particular career pathway, survey several career pathways, or focus on earning college credit via Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or dual credit courses.
We want our students to be prepared for whatever future they envision for them-selves. Taking college courses while still in high school not only saves parents money, it ensures a level of rigor that prepares students for university environments. Earning industry certifications provides options for students to enter a high-paying career directly out of high school or build on that knowledge in technical college or at a university. In fact, we have a number of GCS alumni who have used an industry certification to earn money for college and been successful at both!
For more information on Graduation Plus, visit www.greenville.k12.sc.us or talk to your child’s school counselor.
Immunizations A child cannot be admitted to any school or child development program, virtual or in person, without a valid SC Certificate of Immunization or SC Certificate of Reli-gious Exemption.
If your child does not have a valid certif-icate, call your primary care provider or the Upstate Health Department (855-472-3432) for assistance. A parent or adult authorized by the parent must accompany a student under 16 who requires immuni-zations. For further information, call GCS Medical Health Services at 864-355-3171.
Student Medications All prescription medications must be brought to the school by a parent or legal guardian in the original container, with the student’s name, name of medication, dosage and date last filled clearly legible on the prescription label. This includes in-halers, epi pens and all other emergency medication. All prescription medications must have the most current prescription label accompanied by an Authorization for Prescription Medication at School form (Med-1) completed by a licensed health care provider including parent signature.
Over-the-counter medications require an Authorization for Nonprescription Medica-tion form (Med-3) completed and signed by the parent or legal guardian. All over the counter medications must be in a new, sealed container and clearly labeled with the student’s name.
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i COVID-19 Exclusion Guidance for Schools and Childcare This guidance is intended to help parents know when to exclude students who have symptoms or diagnosis of COVID-19 from school/childcare and when these individuals can return to school/childcare.
Please contact your school to report COVID concerns. They will use the latest DHEC guide-lines to determine if and for how long your child must be excluded from school.
Students and staff with symptoms of COVID-19 should be excluded from childcare or school if they have:
Any one (1) of the following with or without fever:
Shortness of breath May return when meetingor difficulty breathing -or – criteria for return based
on their symptoms andtheir medical evaluation Loss of taste or smell -or –
New or worsening cough
Has the person beenclinically evaluated?
Yes - Received laboratory test for COVID-19
Must stay home untilresults are received
If Positive: Stay homeuntil:
10 days have passedsince symptoms first ap-peared or 10 days sincelab test was collected (ifno symptoms)
20 days if instructed byhealthcare provider -and -
No fever in the past 24hours - and -
Other symptoms haveimproved
If Negative:
Has the person beenclinically evaluated?
No - Has symptomssuggestive of COVID-19(see list to left) but no laboratory test
Stay home until:
10 days have passedsince symptoms firstappeared or 20 days if instructed by healthcareprovider - and -
No fever in the past 24hours - and -
Other symptoms haveimproved
Siblings and householdmembers should also stay home for 14 daysafter the ill person meetscriteria for stopping exclu-sion. See CDC quaran-tine guidance.
Has the person beenclinically evaluated?
Yes - Suspect alternate diagnosis or laboratoryconfirmed condition (e.g.norovirus, pertussis, strepthroat) or symptoms notrelated to COVID-19 (noton list to left)
Follow healthcare provider directions,treatment, and returnguidance.
July 24, 2020
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i How COVID-19 is Spread
COVID-19 Symptoms
You can become infected by coming into close contact (about 6 feet) with a person who has COVID-19.
You can become infected from respira-tory droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.
You may get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it, and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes. Practice
Social Distancing 6
Feet Social distancing means keeping at least 6 feet of space between yourself and others.
How to Properly Wear a Mask Wear a Mask to Protect Yourself and Others Cover your mouth and nose fully with the mask,
COVID-19 HEALTHYmaking sure there are no gaps. CARRIER PERSON
Do not touch the mask while using it.
Hand Washing Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
LOW RISK
MEDIUM RISK
MEDIUM RISK
Keeping hands clean is one of the most important things you can do to stop the spread of germs and stay healthy.
HIGH RISK
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prevention protocols
Temperature Checks/Health Screening
Daily for employees and any school visitors allowed beyond the office
Only for symptomatic students
Social/Physical Distancing
disinfecting/air quality Outdoor air ventilation rates adjusted for maximum air exchange
School Bus protocols
State Department guidelines require all students 3K-12 to wear a mask on the school bus
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Defined by CDC as 6-feet in all directions
Required on Attendance Plan 1 and 2
Required when possible on Plan 5
Class transitions staggered
Hallways marked with lanes to maintain spacing
Bathroom breaks will be staggered and entrances monitored to prevent overcrowding
masks
Worn by staff and students (grades 2-12) when they cannot maintain required distance (6 ft.)
Examples: entering or leaving the building, moving about the hallways, using the restroom facilities, all students riding the bus
Breakfast will be provided free to all students
Students eat in the cafeteria when Attendance Plan 1 is in effect
Custodians will be equipped with electrostatic sprayers to provide quick and thorough sanitation of large spaces at the end of the school day
High-touch areas sanitized throughout the day
Desks sanitized between occupants
Restroom soap dispensers checked and filled regularly
quarantine/exposure Exposure may result in students and staff being quarantined away from school
Per DHEC guidelines, all water fountains will be turned off
GCS will follow DHEC guidelines related to mandated quarantines and student/family notifications
Parents and employees are required to monitor themselves and their children for COVID-19 symptoms
Students and staff should be excluded from school if they have:
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing -or – Loss of taste or smell -or – New or worsening cough
Students will need medical documentation to be exempt from mask requirement
Buses will be cleaned and disinfected twice each day
Hand sanitizer provided in all classrooms
Buses will operate at up to 67% capacity
High-touch areas will be disinfected after each load is dropped off
Students will sit in assigned seats to ensure distancing
water bottles
Every school will have no-touch water bottle filling stations
Students are encouraged to bring a water bottle to school
Disposable cups will be provided at filling stations
field trips
Students eat in the cafeteria or classroom, depending on the layout of the school and other factors, when Plan 2 is in effect
Students eat in their classrooms when Plan 5 is in effect
Visual cues to remind everyone to follow precautions
Mask must be cloth or disposable and cover nose and mouth securely
meals
Any one (1) of the followingwith or without fever:
fever-reducing medications Fever-reducing or other medications should not be used to mask symptoms so students can be sent to school
In-person field trips are suspended until further notice
Students should have their own materials and books to avoid sharing of supplies
Meals offered to all Virtual Program students and all eLearning students
Students may bring their lunch
Virtual field trips are encouraged
sharing classroom materials
Shared items such as scissors and hole punchers will be sanitized between uses
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or call 355-3100 and say “Service Center.”
i Where to Start The Most Effective Way to Address a Concern/Issue You are your child’s best advocate, and your support is vital to their educational success. What is best for your child is our goal, and we will work tirelessly with you to resolve any concern or issue you may encounter during the school year. We always recommend that you address your concern at the school level first, starting with your child’s teacher. We also ask that you allow the teacher and principal the opportunity and time to work with you to-ward the best and most effective solution for your child.
Connect With Us! Visit 301 E. Camperdown Way Greenville, SC
Call INFOLine 864.355.3100
f
Website greenville.k12.sc.us
Email [email protected]
Like us on Facebook facebook.com/gcschools/
Teacher It’s always best to address your concern with your child’s teacher first. Call or e-mail the teacher to set up a time to meet to address the issue and work toward the best solution for your child.
Administrator If, after meeting with your child’s teacher, you feel the issue has not been satisfactorily resolved, contact the school office for an appointment with the principal or his designee. Our goal is to work with you to reach an effective, school-level solution that is in the best interest of your child.
Ombudsman Some situations may require district-level intervention. If your issue has not been resolved satisfactorily at the school level, please contact a District Ombudsman. In most cases, he will include various school and district personnel in the process of seeking an appropriate resolution to your issue or concern.
Brian J. Sherman Dr. Raashad FitzpatrickGCS Assistant to the Supt. GCS Assistant to the Supt. and District Ombudsman and District Ombudsman
864-355-3164 864-355-3973
3STEP
1STEP
2STEP
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