With the Georgia Department of Public Health, the Georgia Department of Education has released guidance for a safe return to in-person instruction in fall 2020.

The guidelines are intended to ensure the safety of students, staff, and families while remaining flexible, responsive, and achievable in the K-12 setting. They are guidelines, not mandates, and are adaptive to multiple scenarios. School districts will review the guidance in consultation with their local public health departments and choose which methods to adopt.

End of Year Grading and Building Reopening Plans

The Camden County Schools System Steering Committee (SSC) met virtually on May 6^th to vote on recommendations from district and school administration regarding end of the year and end of semester grading options in response to the challenges created by the mandatory school closures caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Camden County Schools will follow a revised plan to end the school year. The following changes will be made to the amended schedule.

• There will be no Final Exams.
• May 14 is the last day for new assignments for students
• Teachers will calculate final grades using the plan approved by the System Steering Committee as a final grade by noon on May 15
• Students can makeup/redo work if they are not satisfied with their final grade
• Makeup/redo work begins May 15 and ends May 24 (no new assignments during this time)
• Final grades due May 27 at 3:00 pm
• Camden County High School Summer School will be hosted virtually.

End of Year Plans for Building Reopening

On Monday, May 11, Central Office employees and all school employees will begin to transition back to the workplace in staggered 4 hour shifts for priority responsibilities as follows:

• Accept Deliveries
• Answer Phones
• Teachers to clean out classrooms
• Scheduling returns for Chromebooks, textbooks, etc. and students to pick up personal items
• Curriculum/Instructional Planning for summer school or if needed begin planning for FY21

Employee shifts are 8:00 to 12:00 and 12:00 to 4:00 Monday through Thursday. System will be closed on Fridays.

Principals and Building Administrators will create and share schedules with the following guidelines:

• Maintaining social distancing will be our first priority and principals and building administrators will schedule employees accordingly. The reporting schedule will ensure the safe employee-to building capacity ratio meets or exceeds the recommended distancing by the Centers for Disease Control.
• Absolutely no children will be allowed in the building.
• The last work day for 190 day employees will be May 28^th.

Summer Schedule

Beginning June 1, all employees with work calendars greater than 190 days will return to work following the normal summer schedule for their work locations. Central Office employees will return to their normal summer schedule by working ten hour days Monday – Thursday. The Central Administrative Offices will be closed on Fridays. 

 Schools To Remain Closed in Response to COVID-19 Coronavirus

In accordance with Governor Kemp’s recent mandate to extend schools closures and to best prioritize student and staff safety, Camden County Schools will be remain closed until at least Friday, April 24th. We recognize the hardship school closings may have on our families and community but we also know these are unprecedented times and extreme measures must be taken as a school system and as individuals to keep our community safe.

Throughout the process, we have relied on the guidance from the Georgia Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as our state and local leaders. We will continue to rely on the counsel of these agencies to determine when it is safe to reopen our schools and we will continue to keep you updated as more information becomes available.

While our school buildings will remain closed, the education process has not stopped. Our faculty continue to work remotely to best support students, including delivering digital and physical instructional resources to students while they are at home.

Camden County Schools plans to continue student meal service throughout our school closures. Information about meal delivery and pick up locations can be found on the Camden County Schools website at www.camden.k12.ga.us.

While school is suspended, we hope you will join us in continuing to take measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Please refer to information from the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control to practice proper hygiene and social distancing to keep our homes and community safe.

CCS Temporarily Suspends Sports Competitions and Field Trips

Out of an abundance of caution and at the advisement of the Georgia High Schools Association, Camden County Schools will temporarily suspend all sports competitions and field trips for two weeks effective immediately. Sports practice and other afterschool activities will continue as scheduled.

In addition to cancelling sports competition, the CCHS Fine Arts production of “The Wizard of Oz” has been postponed until a future date. We urge all parents and guardians to take time to update your contact information at the local school level to ensure you receive any updated communications regarding COVID-19.

Dear Parents, 
 
This message is to inform you of a possible coronavirus COVID-19 case in Charlton County and the Camden County Schools (CCS) preparations in response to COVID-19 being detected in a resident of a neighboring county.
 
Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) officials this morning announced a Charlton County adult has tested “presumptive positive” for COVID-19 at the Southeast Georgia Health System –Camden campus. The results of this test have been submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for verification.
 
This adult does not have a household member who attends or works for CCS, according to the DPH officials, who also stated: “the risk of COVID-19 to the general public remains low.”  DPH is not recommending any CCS school closures at this time.  
 
It is likely there will be other “presumptive positive” and/or confirmed cases of COVID-19 among Charlton and Camden County residents, and we do not plan to send you a notice about every case.  These cases will be reported by DPH on its website. Should there be a household connection to CCS and/or a COVID-19 diagnosis among our students and/or staff, you would be notified immediately.  Please take time to update your contact information at the local school level to ensure you receive any updated communications regarding COVID-19.
 
Public health officials continue to advise best every-day healthy practices like frequently washing hands and staying home when you are sick.  
 
Since the initial cases in Georgia were announced, we have been working on additional steps to further improve our existing best practices.  Custodians are sanitizing high-touch areas (desktops, keyboards, bathroom fixtures, water fountains, door handles, etc.) with virus-killing products.   We also are working through our Principals and school nurses to ensure students and staff understand and follow best every-day healthy practices like frequently washing hands.
 
We are committed to transparency and will continue to update our webpage at  www.camden.k12.ga.us with COVID-19 information. 

Sincerely,

John Tucker

Superintendent

Camden County Schools                    

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Camden County Schools Response to COVID-19               

Are we closing the schools in response to COVID-19?

We will continue to follow the guidance of the Georgia Department of Public Health including the steps needed to keep our students and staff safe and healthy, which is always our top priority. The current risk level for our school community is considered low. However, if public health officials update our schools’ risk level, the school community can expect to hear an update from Camden County Schools regarding potential next steps. All decisions will be made in coordination with public health officials. Please take time to update your contact information at the local school level to ensure you receive any updated communications regarding COVID-19.

What are our schools doing to prevent the spread of virus?

Since the initial cases in Georgia were announced, we have been working on additional steps to further improve our existing best practices.  Custodians are sanitizing high-touch areas (desktops, keyboards, bathroom fixtures, water fountains, door handles, etc.) with virus-killing products.   We also are working through our Principals and school nurses to ensure students and staff understand and follow best every-day healthy practices like frequently washing hands.

Will my child be counted as absent if schools remain open and they do not attend?

As Camden County Schools remain open, the current attendance policy will remain in place. You can view the attendance policy here.  All students who are absent will have the opportunity to make up missed work.

How will we be notified about changes in school schedules or closures?

As news around COVID-19 coronavirus seems to be rapidly evolving, it is essential to rely on accurate, timely information from the school system regarding school closures. All official announcements will be made on the Camden County Schools website, via the Camden County Schools Facebook page, through our SchoolMessenger notification system, on local radio stations KBAY 106.3, WECC 89.3 and the Tribune and Georgian newspaper’s website. Please check one or more of these sources for updates regarding future information.

Where can I find information regarding COVID-19 and Prevention Measures?

The websites for the Centers for Disease Control and Georgia Department of Public Health regularly update their information regarding COVID-19 and have information about prevention and treatment.

What would happen in the event school were need to be closed during school hours?

If the Georgia Department of Public Health were to determine we needed an immediate school closure during the regularly scheduled school day, parents and guardians would immediately be notified. Transportation would continue to deliver students to their homes and after care facilities and parents would be able to pick up their children from school. A message from Camden County Schools will go to your phones notifying you of the closure. Please take time to update your contact information at the local school level to ensure you receive any updated communications regarding COVID-19.

Will sporting events and public school performances be suspended due to the COVID-19 coronavirus?

We are continuing to consult with the Georgia Department of Public Health and local and federal agencies to determine if there is a need to cancel or reschedule sporting events or other school performances. Affected families will be notified of any schedule changes or closures via SchoolMessenger. Please take time to update your contact information at the local school level to ensure you receive any updated communications regarding COVID-19.

3/10/2020

Camden County Schools (CCS) does NOT have a confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in our schools but we are remaining proactive by maintaining close contact with local and state agencies regarding the emergence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the U.S. We are working with the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Camden Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) to prepare our schools for the possibility that someone in our community or school system may test positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus in the future. In the event someone in our community is confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 coronavirus, any decision about school closures and response would be jointly made by the school system and these agencies.

While we do not currently have a positive case of COVID-19 coronavirus documented in Camden County, we have proactively increased sanitation protocols in our schools and buildings and are working to prepare remote lessons in the event we must temporarily suspend classes in response to the virus. If schools are closed, we will be offering students the opportunity to work on their studies from home either via computer or through paper assignments.

We encourage everyone in our community to observe the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control regarding ways we practice virus prevention in our homes, schools, and workplaces. We also ask that you make a game plan for your family in the event you or your child should become ill with either COVID-19 coronavirus, the seasonal flu, or other illness. We have provided a “To Go or Not To Go” flyer  on the Camden County Schools website to help you decide if you should plan to keep your child or yourself home when you are showing symptoms of illness.

As news around COVID-19 coronavirus seems to be rapidly evolving, it is essential to rely on accurate, timely information from the school system regarding school closures. All official announcements will be made on the Camden County Schools website, via the Camden County Schools Facebook page, through our SchoolMessenger notification system, on local radio stations KBAY 106.3, WECC 89.3 and the Tribune and Georgian newspaper’s website. Please check one or more of these sources for updates regarding future information.

3/3/2020

Camden County Schools (CCS) does NOT have a confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in our schools but we are remaining proactive by maintaining close contact with local and state agencies regarding the emergence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the U.S.

As we are already in influenza or “flu” season, custodial staff in all school buildings are being asked to take extended measures with sanitizing high-touch areas like doorknobs and desktops, in addition to daily, routine cleaning and sanitizing measures already in place.

COVID-19 spreads like other respiratory illnesses such as the flu and the common cold, primarily through coughing or sneezing by those who already have symptoms. The same measures that are urged to prevent the spread of any respiratory virus are increasingly important for everyone:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow or use a tissue to cover it, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

We encourage parents, students, and staff to be aware of the symptoms of illness and not to report to school if they experience fever, along with any of the following symptoms:

• Cough
• Sore Throat
• Shortness of Breath
• Body Aches
• Headaches
• Chills
• Fatigue
• Sometimes Diarrhea and Vomiting

Students or staff who experience a high-grade fever (oral temperature 100 degrees F or above) will be sent home and not allowed to return to school until they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications. Students and staff should not report to school when running a fever.

As we do our part to educate our community on universal prevention measures, we will continue to follow the direction of the Georgia Department of Public Health, the Georgia Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control.

Coronavirus Resources:

• CDC Coronavirus
• Tips to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19
• Coronavirus Myths vs Facts
• Seasonal Flu vs Pandemic Flu (Infographic)