returning to campus

dear ccs community,

i hope your family is doing well and staying healthy this summer. we will welcome our students and employees back on campus in august as we are planning to open school the week of aug. 17 with students and teachers enjoying on-campus and in-classroom instruction. i look forward to partnering with each family for a great start to the 2020-21 school year. please watch my video below and read on for our preliminary school opening plan. please keep in mind that there will be modifications before the start of school. for our campus to remain open, it is imperative that everyone do their part to keep charlotte christian healthy and safe. thank you in advance for your support and patience during this time and please continue to pray for our employees as we prepare for the start of our 70th school year. 

god bless,
barry giller
head of school

in order to promote behaviors that reduce the spread of illness and maintain a healthy environment, it is imperative that all members of the charlotte christian school community including employees, parents, and students commit to follow recommended guidelines including those presented by the state of north carolina, the cdc, and the aap. this is a charlotte christian school community wide commitment to keep students and employees safe. thank you for reviewing and agreeing to following the guidelines below.

all members of our household agree to:

• regularly wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
• practice social distancing when feasible.
• wear masks or face coverings at all times while on campus in accordance to the guidelines established by the school.
• take temperature every morning before arriving on campus. if the temperature is 100.0 or above, we agree not to come to campus.
• adhere to the procedures and protocols the school has put in place to mitigate the spread of covid-19 until further notice.

parents and employees agree to:

• notify the nurses’ office if the temperature of an individual in the parent’s or employee’s household is 100.0 or above.
• contact the appropriate division office if a student is absent or contact the employee’s supervisor if they are unable to be at work.
• notify the nurses’ office if a student or employee has traveled internationally.
• notify the nurses’ office if there is a new medical diagnosis or food allergy.
• notify the nurses’ office if someone living in a parent’s or employee’s immediate household or with whom they have been in contact with for greater than 15 minutes in the past two weeks has tested positive for covid-19.
• not give or take pain medication or fever-reducing medication prior to arrival on the charlotte christian school campus in order to mask or reduce a fever.
• if a school nurse calls a parent because a student needs to be picked up from charlotte christian school, the parent(s) will do so as soon as possible.
• if anyone in a parent’s or employee’s immediate household tests positive, all members of that immediate household will not return to campus for 14 days.

charlotte christian school is committed to continue to deliver a christ-centered, college preparatory education that equips and develops students to effectively integrate biblical truth and learning into their daily lives and to impact the culture for christ. we transitioned from on-campus instruction to charlotte christian online school on march 25 and successfully completed the 2019-20 school year. we are appreciative of the work of our faculty and flexibility and patience of our parents and students to make virtual learning a success.

our school's leadership team, the ccs health professionals advisory group and our board of trustees have worked diligently to finalize a plan for the best approach to provide an education for our ccs community starting in august. charlotte christian school's four school opening scenarios are based on advice from our ccs health professionals advisory group as well as guidelines from the cdc, north carolina health department of health and human services and the american academy of pediatrics. our flexible plan allows for seamless transition between learning scenarios on-campus and online.

we will maintain the current 2020-21 academic calendar and the utilize blue scenario (full campus return/modifications implemented) to welcome students back to campus for a staggered start the week of aug. 17-21.

we will share more details about the school year as they develop and encourage you to check this page regularly.

• click here for full calendar
• click here for the at-a-glance

all wellness and safety practices will be shared in the classrooms and through signage around campus. we will continue to monitor and adapt our policies as necessary.

to ensure the health and well-being of our community, we have upgraded our cleaning procedures.

protocols when students or staff are covid-19 symptomatic.

if a student or employee tests positive for covid-19, the following steps will take place:

for the campus to remain open, it is imperative that everyone do their part to keep charlotte christian healthy and safe. everyone needs to self-screen, wear masks and report any covid-19 diagnosis to the health room immediately.

please email reopening2020@charchrist.com with any questions.

do you anticipate this plan changing between now and august? 
yes, as we continue to monitor the recommendations of the various health organizations and consult with our health professionals advisory group. we anticipate this plan will be updated and we will communicate those changes accordingly.

is there an online option for families to consider?
yes, if a student or a member of a student's immediate household has a medical condition that puts them in the "high risk" category, the school will provide an online option.  if you believe your student may be in this category, please contact mrs. rebecca caswell at rebecca.caswell@charchrist.com.

are there restrictions on what type of mask may be worn on campus?
masks and/or face coverings worn by adults and students on campus must cover both one's mouth and nose. masks cannot have any advertising or political messages on them. face shields are not allowed.

what about chapels, assemblies, etc.?
for large gatherings we are able to have a little over 100 students in the alkire auditorium, so for chapels we will most likely have one grade level in alkire auditorium and the other students will watch the chapel or assembly via livestream.

will there be athletics in the fall?
no decision regarding fall athletics has been made as of yet. as members of the north carolina independent school athletic association we are working with their leadership and the other member schools to determine the best and safest approach for our schools and the student-athletes. we anticipate a decision to be announced in the near future.

will we have a middle school musical or fine arts concerts, etc. in the fall?
we hope to have the opportunity for our talented fine arts students to perform; however, these performances may be a blend of in-person and online participation for families and guests.

will the pre-packaged meals that flik will provide accommodate my picky eater? popular pre-package sandwiches will be provided as well as meals will also be served by the flik staff. there will not be any self service to the salad bar, sandwiches, paninis or soups.

what happens if a student doesn't pass screening when arriving on campus?
all health screenings will take place at the entrance to each building every morning. if a student does not pass the health screening, they will go to the health room for a second temperature check. if the temperature is still elevated, our school nurses will communicate with parents at that time regarding next steps.

if one student or employee tests positive for covid-19, will the entire campus shutdown and go back to online school immediately?
if there is a positive test we will work with the local health officials on next steps for our community.

will parent groups still be able to meet on campus?
for the first semester, all parent groups will need to meet off campus. back-to-school nights and other parent education meetings typically offered during the school day will be provided virtually.

how can i celebrate my child's birthday during the school year?
since there will be no visitors allowed in the classrooms or the dining hall during lunch, the school will provide a birthday package that parents may pre-purchase for their child to celebrate their birthday with their classmates during lunch.

will my middle and/or upper school student be able to go to windy gap? 
no decision has been made at this time; however, we recognize that the scheduled dates in september are very unlikely to work within our safety plan and thus we are working with the team at windy gap to schedule an alternative time for our students for later in the school year.

our school's leadership team and the ccs health professionals advisory group have worked diligently to finalize a plan for the best approach to provide an education for our ccs community starting in august.