March 13, 2020

Dear Prince Families:

Elevated concerns by local, state, and federal agencies over the spread of the COVID-19 virus have accelerated contingency plans nationwide. After yesterday’s “Educators Call to Action” by Governor Kemp, government schools across the state, including Oconee County and the University of Georgia System, announced they would close this Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 27. The Georgia High School Association, Georgia Independent School Association, and other private schools in our service area have followed suit. In essence, educational services across the state are being moved from on-campus to on-line.

The primary purpose for these campus closures and suspension of athletic, fine arts, and other co-curricular activities is to promote physical separation among persons to disrupt the transmission of the virus, prevent the overload of our nation’s healthcare system, and thus save lives. We have no knowledge of any cases of COVID-19 in our student body nor in our extended PACS family; however, our daily collaboration with government agencies and independent school associations over the past two weeks has proven that moving from an on-campus to an on-line school environment is the safest course of action for our students and their families. As a result, we are taking the following steps immediately:

Students will be transitioning from on-campus to on-line teaching and learning. Instructional staff will be delivering content; students will be learning and completing assignments; teachers will grade work, provide feedback, and post grades as appropriate. Of course, this on-line teaching and learning experience will look different for each grade level, and more details will be forthcoming.

These actions will have a profound impact on our families and our school, and through our partnership, we will work through the many questions that will emerge as a result of this change. I am thankful for the hard work that has brought us to this crossroads; now, we are embarking on a new phase of this journey. Today, we will work with your student to ensure he or she brings home as many resources as possible. As we initially navigate what will be complicated waters, we thank you, as parents, in advance for your patience.

I remain very thankful for our school community, and I want you all to stay safe and healthy during this time of separation. Please take care of your families, friends, and neighbors. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should pray for those in government leadership positions with authority over us who will continue to make difficult and often unpopular decisions and for our fellow Americans who are most vulnerable to this illness.

We will continue to update you on this situation as time progresses, and you may read a complete list of our correspondence about COVID-19 on our new webpage HERE.

With warm regards and in His service,