Taylor County Schools

9-9-20 Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians, Today, we were informed that a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. We have been in communication with the Georgia Department of Public Health. They are taking the appropriate steps in regards to contact tracing, but we have not identified any close contacts at school. We are making efforts to disinfect school buildings. Sincerely, Jennifer Albritton Superintendent

I have provided the summary in the link below to help capture what has happened in terms of COVID-19 in our District. We had no positive cases in our schools this week. The weekly summary is based on the information that I have at this time. https://5il.co/knxp Parents and guardians, please continue to monitor your children at home. Staff members should also be monitoring themselves as well. We have the following documents to help with your decision making: https://5il.co/j52d https://5il.co/jmuf Jennifer Albritton Superintendent

WHAT: Taylor County Substitute Teacher Orientation WHEN: Thursday, September 3rd LOCATION: Taylor County Board of Education Office TIME: 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Interested applicants can complete can application upon arrival. Those planning to attend should wear a mask. If you have questions, please contact Tracy Caldwell ( Human Resource Director) at 478-721-8295 (w) or 770-262-3006 (c). *NOTE: Substitute Teacher Orientation will be held on the first Thursday of each month.

An Expression of Sympathy to the Family of Mr. Wayne Smith On behalf of the Taylor County Board of Education and the faculty and staff of the Taylor County School System, we offer our condolences to the family of Mr. Wayne Smith. Our hearts are saddened by the news of his passing. He served the community for over thirty years through his work in the school system as a teacher, Curriculum Director, and Superintendent. He served with a positive and caring spirit. In his memory, we will be placing a wreath on the door of the central office, as well as on each school sign. He will be greatly missed. With our deepest sympathy, Jennifer Albritton Taylor County School Superintendent

I have provided the summary in the link below to help capture what has happened in terms of COVID-19 in our District. We had one staff member to test positive this week. This staff member was reported in last week’s quarantine list, and this did not result in any exposure at school. The weekly summary is based on the information that I have at this time. https://5il.co/kdaz Parents and guardians, please continue to monitor your children at home. Staff members should also be monitoring themselves as well. We have the following documents to help with your decision making: https://5il.co/j52d https://5il.co/jmuf Jennifer Albritton Superintendent

8-27-20 Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians, Today, we were informed that a High School student tested positive for COVID-19. We have been in communication with the Georgia Department of Public Health. They are taking the appropriate steps in regards to contact tracing. We are making efforts to disinfect school buildings. Sincerely, Jennifer Albritton Superintendent

I would like to thank our students, parents, and guardians for your support and patience as we have made it through our first week of school. In spite of very difficult circumstances, the staff of the Taylor County School District has done a wonderful job. I am grateful for their efforts, and I have witnessed many of them going above and beyond to take care of our distance learners, in-person learners, and each other. I have provided the summary in the link below to help capture what has happened in terms of COVID-19 in our District. This information is based on people who were present in our school buildings beginning August 17, 2020. There were ongoing cases that occurred prior to opening schools. Of course, this is based on the information that I have at this time. https://5il.co/k1ae Parents and guardians, please continue to monitor your children at home. Staff members should also be monitoring themselves as well. We have the following documents to help with your decision making: https://5il.co/j52d https://5il.co/jmuf Jennifer Albritton Superintendent

TCSD Wrapped Reading Bus

8-20-20 Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians, Today, we were informed that two Primary School students tested positive for COVID-19. We have been in communication with the Georgia Department of Public Health. They are taking the appropriate steps in regards to contact tracing. We are making efforts to disinfect school buildings. Sincerely, Jennifer Albritton Superintendent

8-19-20 We were informed late this afternoon that we have a positive case of COVID-19 at the Primary School. We have been in communication with the Georgia Department of Public Health. They are taking the appropriate steps in regards to contact tracing. We have disinfected the building. Jennifer Albritton Superintendent

Change to Parent Pick-up Middle School and High School In an effort to relieve some of the congestion in our parent pick-up area for the middle and high school students, we are making changes starting today, August 18th. The existing parent pick-up area will be for sixth grade and seventh grade students. Eighth grade – twelfth grade students may be picked up at the Auditorium parking area (front and side). If extra space is needed, you may park in area in front of the old maintenance barn. We ask that you access the area by driving North on Oak Street because the buses will be coming from East Main Street and will likely block the intersection of East Main Street and Oak Street. If you are picking up students from multiple grade levels at the middle/high school campus, please park in the area of the student in the lowest grade level. You will pick up all of your students in that one area. We will communicate this to the students today in our announcements. Extra staff members will be present to help parents adjust to the change. We appreciate your patience with us as we modify our procedures and processes in this current environment. Please know we are going to be monitoring our plans, and we will make adjustments as needed.

The reopening guidelines have been updated to include the following change regarding face masks/coverings. The high school and middle school students and staff will be required to wear face masks/coverings during classroom transitions.

The Taylor County Board of Education will conduct a budget hearing on Monday, August 10, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. at our normal location and virtually by a Zoom meeting. Please note that some board members may choose to access the meeting virtually. You will find a link to the zoom meeting on the agenda at the Simbli Site and below. Join Board Meeting – Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/91779483643?pwd=Ulovb1ZKTll1bWNsc082azc5akFiZz09

We will conduct the regularly scheduled meeting of the Taylor County Board of Education Monday, August 10, 2020, at our normal location and virtually by a Zoom meeting. Please note that some board members may choose to access the meeting virtually. You will find a link to the zoom meeting on the agenda at the Simbli Site and below. Join Board Meeting – Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/97344639220?pwd=YmpycHNqSFIwQ0c5MGhuMzUyR09jQT09

7-31-20 Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians, We were informed today that we have two positive cases of COVID-19 in the School District. We have been in communication with the Georgia Department of Public Health. They are taking the appropriate steps in regards to contact tracing. We are making efforts to disinfect school buildings. Out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to delay the start date for students to Monday, August 17, 2020. Sincerely, Jennifer Albritton Superintendent

July 24, 2020 Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians, To eliminate any possible confusion brought about by speculation or rumors, I want to once again address our plans for reopening. At this time, the Taylor County School District still intends to move forward with the plans we communicated on July 14, 2020 with one exception. In order to allow more time for our faculty and staff to be better prepared to welcome our students, the start date for students has been changed to Thursday, August 6, 2020. I have updated the reopening guidelines for the date change and will post them to our social media sites. I would remind you that information is continually evolving regarding the reopening of school. We will communicate any changes to you as soon as possible. Sincerely, Jennifer Albritton Superintendent

We will conduct the regularly scheduled meeting of the Taylor County Board of Education Monday, July 13, 2020, at our normal location and virtually by a Zoom meeting. Please note that some board members may choose to access the meeting virtually. You will find a link to the zoom meeting on the agenda at the Simbli Site and below. Join Board Meeting – Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/91870879897?pwd=cnpxcnZVd3VQYndxTUM3Y0RCUFRRQT09