Dear Parents,
We know that you have many questions about school reopening as the scheduled start of school gets closer, and we hope that a couple of communication pieces this week will provide some answers. First, this weekly update email will provide new details regarding PCA's "Illness Policy For COVID-19", facial covering requirements, and Health & Safety protocols established to help protect your family. Secondly, you will be receiving our Q & A Town Hall video later this week with in-depth information on a variety of topics. More on that below.
As we have previously shared, there are 8 committees as part of our Coronavirus Task Force and each one is researching their particular area and speaking with experts in order to determine the best way to reopen our campus and launch the new school year.
Our Heath & Safety Committee includes individuals from the following areas:
Emergency Room Physician/Director of local ER
2 Pediatricians
1 Pediatric Physicians Assistant
3 Nurses (Outpatient surgery, ER, OR, Pediatric ICU)
In addition, the Health & Safety Task Force Committee is following guidelines from DHEC, the CDC, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Our goal at Palmetto Christian Academy is to return to campus for live, in-person instruction while mitigating the spread of the virus. This involves a variety of new procedures and protocols to achieve this goal.
1) Maintaining a Healthy Campus:
- Investing in higher-rated HEPA filters and the addition of UV lights to our HVAC system
- Screening students, faculty and visitors for symptoms and history of exposure which may include daily temperature checks and health monitoring
- Requiring Face Coverings for all students and staff upon entering the building, walking the hallways, and during dismissal (with the exception of preschoolers). At this time, Lower School students will not be required to wear a mask while sitting at their desk. Upper School students will be required to wear masks in the classrooms if the students' desks are unable to be 3 to 6 feet apart
- Purchasing new desks and seating which will allow physical distancing in as many areas as possible in order to reduce the possibility and time required to wear face coverings
- Providing safety procedures training for students to help them feel comfortable and confident with our new health and safety procedures
2) Monitoring Illness:
Keeping our campus healthy will be a collective effort, one we are asking everyone in our school community to support. With everyone’s understanding and cooperation, we have a much better chance of minimizing risk and maintaining a healthy environment for our students, employees, families, and the community.
It will be important for the school to have knowledge if anyone has tested positive for COVID-19, resides with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, and/or has come in direct contact within a 14-day period with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Tracing diagnosed cases within our school community will allow us to have a better understanding of the overall school-wide health condition, localized to campus, building, and classroom. Please contact the PCA Attendance Office at attendance@palmettochristianacademy.org or one of our School Nurses, Tricia Turner or Ashli Rushing, at schoolnurse@palmettochristianacademy.org to report any of the above.
You will find details regarding COVID-19 cases in the classroom and quarantine requirements in our Illness Policy.
