SeA’s Reopening FAQ

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General Questions

1. What will school look like when SeA reopens on August 10 for the 2020-2021 School Year?

2. I have more than one child who attends SeA.  Will they attend on the same week?

3. How does Plan B look at SeA?

4. Since the case count in Robeson County is increasing, not stabilizing, why is SeA not doing 100% Remote Learning and waiting to reopen?

5. Can we switch to Remote Learning only if we are uncomfortable after school opens?

6. Can we switch to Blended Learning if we decide it’s safe for our child to come back?

7. Will we lose our seat in the classroom for next year if we choose Remote Learning this school year?

8. Since my students is in Week B, they will be in Remote Learning on the first day of school (August 10).  Do they just check in for attendance and that’s it for the day since they have not yet had the benefit of any in-person days with learning and assignments?

9. Since the day has been extended till 3:30 p.m. what time should I pick up my child?

10. Will buses run and can my child ride the bus?  What safety precautions are being taken for bus students.

11. Will SeA offer lunch like last year?

12. What router speed is required/recommended for student's working virtually?   

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Health and Safety Questions

1. What style of face covering is allowed?

2. Are Face Shields an allowable substitution for cloth face coverings?

3. I’m worried about my child wearing a face covering all day.  Are there times when they can take it off?

4. How will SeA keep my child safe?

5. How will school manage cleanliness throughout the day?

6. Will students and teachers need to be tested for Covid-19 before they come back to school?

7. Do all of the state requirements for reopening apply to Charter Schools?

8. How will new cases of Covid-19 be handled in our schools?

9. When will my child be counted absent?

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Academic

1. What week will my child be assigned? Will my children attend on the same week?

2. What if my child has an IEP or 504 Plan?

3. Will my child receive a technology device since he will be learning from home?

4. What if I have technology difficulty while my child is at home?

5. When will we receive the checkout form for technology?

6. Will there be an Open House this year?

7. How will my child check out books?

8. What will the Remote Learning look like?

9. How will you keep the students 6 feet apart during Recess and Lunch?

10. Will my child have to change classrooms during the day?

11. My child experienced frustration with the online format when schools went virtual. It was very difficult for her to understand that school was not in person. My biggest concern with virtual learning for her is learning to adapt to this frustration, especially if her classmates are at school and she is not. If at some point during the day, this becomes the case, will we be okay to exit Seesaw and watch the recordings later without penalty of being absent? Also, I'm concerned that she will be unable to attend to a screen for long periods of time. I will work toward this goal very diligently with her, but I feel at the beginning, we need a little flexibility to adjust.  

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Athletics

1. Will there be any athletics for Grades 6-8 this year?

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General Question Answers

1. ​50% of the classroom will be in class on Week A while the other 50% of the classroom will be at home learning remotely.  Some students will be at home learning remotely every day.  Students will stay in one room and assigned their personal desk for the entire year.  Teachers will move classrooms if they teach a different subject (as in grades 3-8).  Resource teachers will come to the classroom to teach.  A camera will be in each classroom so that the students who are remotely learning will have the same teaching as the students in class.  The school hours for students will be 8:00-3:30.

2. Siblings will attend on the same week.

3. The SeA Reopening Plan has detailed information about health and safety protocols, social and emotional support and what learning will look like.

4. SeA wants to accommodate parents’ needs and what is best for students.  We are following the guidelines set forth from state and government officials.  We feel students need the interaction with teachers and students for optimal learning.  We want our students and parents to have the option that works best for them, while following state guidelines.  Under the guidelines from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the school has to operate with 1025 hours of instruction.  The later we start back, the less time students will have off during the school year and we do not know what the future holds with state mandates.  We want to provide as much quality instruction for our students as possible.

5. You may choose to switch to Remote Learning Only at any point during the school year, however, you cannot choose to go back and forth throughout the year.  For example, if “Suzie” wakes up and doesn’t feel like coming to school for any reason other than being sick, she can NOT decide to stay home and do Remote to count being present.  This will cause too much chaos for our teachers who are already doing double duty.

6. You may NOT choose to return to school with Blended Learning.  The reason for this is due to the amount of students we have to have in the classroom for Blended Learning.  If the governor decides students may come back under Plan A with minimal Social Distancing, then you may choose to bring your child back to school.

7. You will NOT lose your seat in the classroom at any time.  Once you are a student at SeA, you will remain a student.

8. You will follow a calendar given out via email.  If you do not attend the first or second day, you do NOT have to check in to school.  Once you have completed the first 2 days of school, then you will need to check in each day the student is working from home.  Your child’s teacher will provide instructions as to what the procedures will be.

9. Car Riders should be picked up between 3:30 and 3:45.  The school will do their best to accommodate car pool students. 

10. Buses will run.  Students assigned to the bus last year will be on the bus again this year.  The siblings of the students are automatically put on the bus.  After the year has started, we will see if there is any available space and conduct a lottery for those needing bus transportation.  The bus will be cleaned every afternoon, and after the students get off the bus.  The students’ temperature will be taken before the student is allowed to get on the bus.  Parents must accompany their child to the bus in the mornings to make sure their child does not have a temperature.  Cloth masks must be worn on the bus.  Students on the bus will be socially distanced.  Siblings will be seated together as much as possible.

11. SeA will not offer lunch this year due to safety precautions.  Your child MUST bring a lunch each day.  Parents will be contacted to bring a lunch if your child doesn’t have one.​

12.  Anything from Spectrum should be fine. 

Health and Safety Answers

1. Any style of cloth facemask is allowed according to Strong Schools Public Health Tool Kit.  Bandanas are NOT permitted.  Gaiter masks are permitted.  Please feel free to Google images of any of these face covering styles to further clarify what each looks like.

2. There is evidence that face shields can protect the wearer from respiratory droplets spread by others.  Unlike with face coverings, it is not known if face shields provide any benefit in controlling the spread of respiratory droplets to others (source control).  CDC does not currently recommend a face shield as a replacement for a cloth face covering. 

• However, for certain individuals, the use of cloth face coverings by teachers or others may pose a challenge, such as students who are deaf or hard of hearing, students receiving speech/language services, infants and young students in early education programs, students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and English-language learners. There are products such as transparent/clear masks or face coverings with a see-through panel in the front, but availability may vary depending on the setting and supply. If available, a transparent face mask may be a better option for protection that allows visibility. However, if a transparent face mask is unavailable, a face shield may be used as a substitute until or unless a transparent mask becomes available.  

• In addition, per Governor Cooper’s Executive Order No. 147 frequently asked questions, face shields are an allowed substitute for individuals who have difficulties wearing a cloth face covering.  

• If face shields are used without also wearing a mask, they should wrap around the sides of the wearer’s face and extend to below the chin. Disposable face shields should only be worn for a single use. Reusable face shields should be cleaned and disinfected after each use.\Wearing a cloth face covering is required for all students K-8, and for all teachers and school staff, unless a stated exception applies, or the individual is eating, drinking, or strenuously exercising.  There will be time throughout the day when students, teachers, and staff can take breaks from wearing cloth face coverings and in settings where risk for transmission is lower (e.g., outside and all people are consistently 6 ft. apart). 

3.​ Wearing a cloth face covering is required for all students K-8, and for all teachers and school staff, unless a stated exception applies, or the individual is eating, drinking, or strenuously exercising.  There will be time throughout the day when students, teachers, and staff can take breaks from wearing cloth face coverings and in settings where risk for transmission is lower (e.g., outside and all people are consistently 6 ft. apart). 

4. Our greatest and most foundational priority is to keep our students and staff safe.  We will follow the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services health and safety protocols for safe schools.  These protocols are detailed in our Reopening Plan under Health & Safety Protocols.

5. Please see our cleaning and sanitation protocols in the Reopening Plan under Health & Safety Protocols.

6. No, students and teachers will not need to be tested for COVID-19 before they come back to school.  Schools are required to conduct symptom screenings, including temperature checks, of any person entering a school building or school transportation vehicle. Symptom screenings and temperature checks will be required for all students, teachers, staff, family members and other visitors.

7. YES, all of the state requirements for reopening apply to Charter Schools.

8. NCDHHS released the Reference Guide for Suspected, Presumed, or Confirmed Cases of COVID-19.  The guide details how schools should handle these scenarios and should be used in schools across the state.

 

Specifically, this reference guide outlines protocols that staff should follow when interacting with students or staff who:

• Share they were exposed to someone with COVID-19 (defined as having close contact of less than 6 feet distance for more than 15 minutes) but have no symptoms

• Share they were diagnosed with COVID-19 less than 10 days ago but are not symptomatic

• Present with at least one of the following COVID-19 symptoms (fever, chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, new cough, new loss of taste or smell).

9. Attendance Policy

 

Academic Answers

1. Your child’s assigned week will come via communication with your child’s teacher in the next week or two.  Siblings will be grouped together.

2. Students will follow their general education lesson plans with their appropriate accommodations and teachers will be teaching either in person or virtual.  If there are other special circumstances, the EC teacher will communicate additional information regarding individualized learning activities and goals.

3. You will have the opportunity to check out a device for your child for the school year.  We were fortunate to be able to purchase enough devices for each student this year.  The device may be taken to and from school if you choose to rent one from school.  The cost is $100.  You will receive a refund of $75 at the end of the year if the device is turned in in good condition and with all the cords.  This device needs to be at school with your child when they are on campus.  If you do not wish to rent a device, then you will need to provide a device for your child to use at home. 

4. The checkout form and directions will be sent out in an email the first week in August.

5. We will have a Help Ticket to fill out if you have problems at home.  This ticket will be answered as soon as possible. 

6. Open House will be held virtually this year.  We will send out a schedule in a couple of weeks.

7. Due to cleaning and contamination issues, we will not be providing book check out.  You may check out books through the Robeson County Public Library or their Libby App

8. Students will be expected to sign in to either SeeSaw (K-2) or Google Classroom (3-8) by 8:05 each morning.  They will view the classroom live via Zoom.  On bathroom breaks, lunch, and recess in the classroom, the students working remotely will have a break.  The teacher will prompt the child as to what time they are expected to be back online.  Every classroom teacher will have a Bluetooth microphone device so that students working remotely can hear clearly and have 2-way communication with the teacher.  The teacher will let the students know when assignments are due.  If the assignment is due by the end of the day, that means due by midnight of the same day.  If your child is sick, and unable to work, the Zoom classes will be recorded for your convenience.

9. Students will eat in their classrooms for lunch.  Only one class at a time will be allowed on the playground and teachers will ensure students maintain social distancing while having organized play.

10. Your child will remain in one classroom throughout the day.  When changing subjects, if needed, teachers will move classrooms.

11. Yes, this is going to be a process we will definitely have to work with concerning the younger grades.  Our teachers will help and be as flexible as possible with parents for students struggling with the online learning.  The teachers will set up their Zoom meeting to record for students who may need that. 

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Athletic Answers

1. There will NOT be any athletics this fall.  That includes both volleyball and soccer.  SeA will reassess the possibility of athletics again after the first of the year.

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** Link to Confirmed Cases of Covid-19