School Open March 17th-20th
School Closed Beginning March 23rd
Date: March 14, 2020
Re: Long County School System Notification of Closure
To: Parents, Guardians, and Students
Georgia’s first reported
cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have caused us all much concern and
some confusion. At the time of this notification there are no confirmed cases
of the coronavirus in Long County or in our schools. School faculty and staff
members have taken extra precautions to keep all of our students and staff as
safe as possible. We have been working closely with state and local health
officials in all of our decisions.
Based on the most recent information available to us, we will
resume normal school routines on Tuesday, March 17, with students in
attendance. Monday, March 16, is a previously-scheduled spring holiday. During
our two-day spring holiday, crews are doing deep cleaning and sanitization of
schools and buses. We will continue these efforts throughout each day next
week. Our custodial staff is routinely cleaning high-touch surfaces (e.g.,
doorknobs, light switches, countertops) with virus-killing products.
We have already begun to plan for some “distance learning” for
students in the coming weeks. We will be sending home learning materials for
all students.
Unless the situation changes rapidly in the next few days, our plan is to have
normal school schedules next week (Tuesday, March 17-Friday, March 20) with the
following exceptions:
• All athletic competitions and after school events are
suspended until further notice.
• Athletes will be allowed to practice locally. Practice will be optional.
• All field trips are cancelled until further notice.
• We will delay enrollment of new students for a period of two weeks from the
date they arrive in our district and are cleared by the school nurse.
• We will not allow visitors beyond the front office in our schools. We will
temporarily discontinue allowing parents/visitors to eat breakfast and or lunch
with students.
• Students and employees who are sick should remain home this week.
• Students and employees who traveled abroad or may have been in contact with
large crowds are encouraged to self-quarantine for this week.
• Parents with concerns about student health and safety may elect to keep their
student(s) at home for this week. All absences for the week of March 17-20 will
be excused. Students are responsible for any make-up assignments.
• If your child does not attend school this week, please contact your child’s
teacher or the school office to arrange for pickup of distance learning
material.
• We will continue to stress the importance of proper hygiene practices at home
and school. We will continue to keep our schools and buses cleaned.
Effective Monday, March 23, schools will be closed and we will enact our
distance learning plan as follows:
• March 23-27 Distance Learning (Schools Closed)
• March 30-April 3 To Be Determined by March 27 (Distance Learning /Schools
Closed or Normal School Schedule)
• April 6 – 10 Spring Break Holidays
This is a very fluid situation and we will adjust as needed to keep our
students and staff safe. We highly recommend parents/guardians take the time
now to prepare for the upcoming school closure. Please understand that closure
may be extended as information unfolds.
As always, we appreciate your support as we strive to make student and staff
health and safety a top priority. Please continue to monitor district and
school websites as well social media for updates.
Sincerely,
David Edwards
Superintendent
Long County School System