WELCOME BACK, CHIEFS!
Sequoyah High Parents & Students,
As we gear up for the 2020-2021 academic year, Monroe County School and Sequoyah High School have been diligently planning for our return to campus. Sequoyah High School will make concerted efforts to adjust our daily procedures and routines throughout the 2020-2021 academic year to mitigate risk factors in the best interest of students and staff. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we all work together to provide our students with a quality school experience while also being sensitive to current circumstances. Please understand that we will revisit our plan frequently based on identified needs or any changes in federal/state/local guidance. Changes will be communicated with stakeholders as they occur.
Delivery of Academic Instruction
- Face-to-Face/In-person Schooling: Sequoyah High School students attend courses on campus and with teacher-student interactions as they traditionally would.
- Virtual Learning Academy: The student/family elects to participate in learning and coursework via electronic and digital formats. This option will be available for students/families with concerns related to the ongoing pandemic. Student coursework and instruction will be delivered via electronic means.
- Virtual learning will NOT be like it was during the spring shut down. There will be attendance requirements, grades will be taken, and tests will be given.
- Your child will spend several hours a day online learning and doing grade level work.
- You must have internet access and a device capable of downloading and watching videos. As of now, the school cannot provide you with a device or internet access.
- Virtual school will begin August 24th. Once you commit to virtual learning, you will have to stay with it for the nine weeks grading period before you can come back to regular school.
- You will be considered a student of Monroe County Schools.
Student Arrival
- The school building will be open to students at 7:00am. Student drivers please arrive no earlier than 7:30am.
- Parents needing to drop off students will enter the campus through the main entrance on highway 411. Students will have temperature checked before exiting the vehicle and will enter the building at the gym lobby.
- Student drivers will enter the campus from Fagin Rd. (lower gate by the football field) Students will have temperature checked before exiting the vehicle and will enter the building at the gym lobby.
- Bus Riders will enter the building through the courtyard entrance. All bus riders will have their temperature checked prior to entering the building.
- All students must undergo temperature checks prior to entrance into the school building. Late arrivals will enter at the office area and the student will have their temperature checked before being released to class.
- Students who are tardy in arriving to school should contact the school's office by phone to arrange entry into the building (423-442-9230). A school staff member will come to meet the student at their vehicle, check the student's temperature, and approve entry into the building. The student will then follow routine school guidelines for getting a tardy slip and entering class.
- From time to time, students require early dismissal from school due to sicknesses other than COVID-19 or for medical appointments and family-related emergencies. In cases where students need to be picked up from school prior to daily dismissal, a parent/guardian must call ahead and/or send in written correspondence detailing what time the student should be prepared to leave. Upon arriving in the school parking lot, the parent/guardian should call into the school using the camera system. A sign-out sheet will be brought to the door along with the student.
Visitors on Campus
- In adherence with Monroe County School District guidelines and in efforts to minimize environmental risk factors during the pandemic, access to campus for parents and visitors will require an appointment. Parents/guardians needing to speak to a teacher or administrator can make an appointment via email or phone.
- Visitors admitted into the building will be screened for temperature and health.
- Parents/guardians who need to drop off personal items for a student will use the buzzer system and then place the items to be delivered into a designated receptacle. School staff will collect the items, notify the student, and deliver the items.
Masks
- Students are expected to wear masks when social distancing is difficult. Students will be prompted to wear masks during class transitions, arrival/dismissal, work in small group settings, etc.
- All masks must meet Monroe County dress code policy.
- ALL Monroe County School’s employees will wear masks when coming into close proximity with students and during student transitions.
- Protocols and guidelines for the usage of masks may be adjusted based upon local, state, and federal guidelines.
School Nutrition & Cafeteria
- All cafeteria personnel will wear plastic face shields and gloves while preparing and serving food.
- All tables will be disinfected before and after meals and between lunches.
- Additional areas will be designated for students to wait prior to the morning bell if they are not eating breakfast.
Classroom Procedures
- Student desks and classrooms will be arranged to maximize physical space and improve distancing.
- Hand sanitizer will be available in all classrooms.
- Classroom desks/tables will be sanitized between each class and at the end of each day.
School Facilities
- Water fountains will be closed. We encourage students to bring their own water bottles.
- Commonly touched surfaces such as entry door handles, stair railings, etc. will be sanitized during each class change.
- Hall passes may be limited during class time and classes will not take “group” restroom breaks.