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P.A.L.M. Charter High School 826 West Cox Ferry Road Conway, SC 29526 843.903.6600

Employee Handbook 2020-21

Dear P.A.L.M. Parent,

With the start of the school year being only four weeks away, P.A.L.M. has been busy

planning for the return to school for our students, staff, and families. And the health and

safety of our school family continues to be our priority. The educational needs of our

children must be met as well as the ability to provide them with a safe and healthy

environment on campus. As we plan, we are committed to our guiding principles:

● Maintain the health, wellness, and safety of the entire school

1. Flexibility for our most at-risk students, staff, and families

2. Compliance with social distancing recommendations

3. Preparedness for responding to local, state, and federal orders

● Commit to developing an equitable and innovative re-opening approach that meets the

academic and social-emotional needs of all students

● Support all staff to adapt and respond to the instructional and operational needs of all

stakeholders

● Sustain open communication with the community

I can assure you that we will adhere to these stated principles and continue to provide your

child with the best educational experience possible. This handbook will provide parents with

the operational approach we will use throughout the school year. Adaptability will be a key

tool for us to use as the face of this health issue changes over time.

Please contact me if you have any concerns or questions.

Sincerely,

Avery Moore, M.Ed.

Principal

P.A.L.M. Charter High School

P.A.L.M. Charter High School will begin the school year on September 8, 2020 which is aligned

with Horry County Schools.

P.A.L.M. will provide parents 2 options for instruction:

1. On-Campus Face-to-Face Teaching and Learning - On-campus face-to-face learning occurs

when the teacher and the student meet physically in a classroom for a set time for whole-group

lessons, small-group lessons, guided practice, and independent practice with social distancing

and health and safety measures in place. If we need to suspend classes due to health and safety

conditions, teaching and learning will continue online.

Social distancing measures will be put in place.

Students who enter the building prior to classes beginning will be required to remain

inside the Commons until the bell sounds to begin class. Traffic flow will be controlled.

Student movement will be structured to restrict the number of students who come into

contact with each other. Class dismissal times will be staggered in order to restrict the

number of students in specific hallway locations.

Seating for lunch will be dispersed throughout the Commons to ensure the most

amount of space possible for students. Students will have an option to eat in an

outdoor location.

Each student will use hand sanitizer as they walk into each classroom each period.

The classroom teacher will wipe down all tables, computers and desks after each class is

dismissed.

Students will be assigned their resources such as calculators, binders and pens/pencils

rather than sharing.

All staff and students will be required to wear a mask in the building. Social distancing

will be maintained throughout the building except for classrooms. (per South Carolina

Dept of Education)

Lunch will be organized in order to social distance. Masks are not required during the

lunch period. Hallways will be marked in order to keep students social distanced. Firm

enforcement of the SCDOE's mask mandate will be prioritized in classrooms where

socially distancing cannot be maintained.

All students will be required to sanitize hands as they walk into the classroom.

Teachers will wipe tables, desks and computers once students have exited the

classroom.

A procedure will be in place regarding the report of a test positive for both staff and

students.

2. Distance Learning via Google Classrooms - Distance learning occurs when the student and

teacher are separated by distance and instruction is conducted via an eLearning platform

such as Google Classrooms. The student receives assignments online. Communications with

the teacher are mainly through a student Gmail account. The student and/or parent will have

the ability to schedule a phone conference if necessary. Most assignments will have

deadlines. There will be assignments that will span the 18 weeks of a semester before they

are to be submitted. Students will be allowed to check out a device from the school if

necessary if they choose for the eLearning option. (All parents must sign up for

Distance Learning by August 14th).Students are required to remain in Distance

Learning for a minimum of nine weeks.

Physical Environment – The following will be in place to ensure P.A.L.M. maintains the

health, wellness, and safety of our students and staff.

● Provide each classroom with hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes

● Ensure the campus has the allotment of PPE and cleaning material on site each week

● Train all P.A.L.M. employees to follow health safety protocols required by DHEC.

● Equip the campus with no-touch thermometers

● Implement a system students and staff uses to communicate COVID-19 related symptoms

of vital information.

● Modify daily cleaning schedules to ensure each space is sanitized and disinfected multiple

times a day; and deep cleaning of campuses once a week

● Provide hand sanitizer stations on campus

● Arrange classrooms to ensure 6-foot social distancing between student desks as much as

possible

● Place tape markings demonstrating 6-foot social distancing in all common areas and

walkways

● Disinfect commonly used surfaces and areas frequently

● Promote frequent 20-second hand washing practices among staff and students

● Remove soft furnishings that are hard to disinfect

● Identify isolation space for students who do not pass arrival screenings and/or become ill

with COVID-19-related symptoms and must wait for parent pick up

● Require students and staff to stay home if they, or anyone in their household, have tested

positive for COVID-19 and/or are showing any symptoms

● Follow CDC guidance and recommendations

● Require food services staff to wear facial coverings and gloves during all food preparation and

service

● Ensure teachers and staff assisting with meal distribution wear facial coverings and gloves

● Implement hand washing with soap and water for 20 seconds by students and staff before

and after meal service (hand sanitizer may be used when soap and water is not available)

● Sanitize the food serving table prior to, during, and after each meal service

● Do not allow sharing of desks/tables or food

Specialized Assistance

Each Friday, students will remain off campus and will be assigned on-line assignments. P.A.L.M.

has established a Re-Opening Task Force in order to maintain a pulse week to week on all

aspects of the re-opening plan. Students with social-emotional needs, students with special

educational needs and students who are being served through distanced learning will be

allowed to come to the school campus and receive specialized instruction or assistance each

Friday. The Re-Opening Task Force will utilize each Friday in ways to best support all P.A.L.M.

students and families. It will also serve as a day in which staff can collaborate with other staff in

order to solve problems and issues.

P.A.L.M. Charter High School

826 West Cox Ferry Road Conway, SC 29526 843.903.6600

www.palmsc.org

P.A.L.M. Charter High School does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age,

immigrant status, English-speaking status, or any other characteristic protected by federal or S.C. law in its programs or

activities. For questions regarding the nondiscrimination policy please call or write to the above contact information.