Dear Parents,
I remain grateful for the patience, follow-through, and general good humor of our students and faculty and staff as we continue to navigate the challenges of COVID-19. While we have seen cases in our school community during the first nine weeks of the school year, I am pleased to report that our current number of cases and quarantines is zero. It is also uplifting to see case numbers drop in our local community and our hospitals return to more normal operating procedures. This time has not been easy and I continue to feel blessed to live in a community with such fine people devoted to our health and well-being. I am very proud of the Darlington Community for doing our part to help us manage through the recent COVID surge.
At this time, Darlington is returning to our start of the school year policies in regards to face coverings. That policy is below.
FACE COVERINGS
Darlington’s policy beginning the year is that all students and faculty/staff, Pre-K to 12, must bring a face covering to school. There will be significant opportunities for students to be mask-free during the school day if they so choose. At the same time, we will continue to fully support the adults and students in our school community who choose to wear a mask and strongly encourage mask wearing for anyone whose immune system may be compromised.
During the academic day, face coverings are required by adults and students, regardless of vaccination status, in the following indoor settings:
In terms of extracurricular activities, we will continue to follow Georgia High School Athletic Association guidelines.
All school policies regarding isolation and quarantine, and additional mitigation strategies remain in place.
We do not know what may come next in terms of the pandemic, so we remain thoughtful and ready. Our commitment to in-person learning means that we may return to a fully-masked campus if the health situation within our school and/or community warrants that decision (as was the case during the recent surge of the Delta variant).
For now, we are confident that our commitment to staying home when sick, testing for COVID-19 when necessary, hygiene and other mitigation strategies, desire to limit exposure outside of school, and high vaccination rates will allow us to continue to have a successful school year.
Thank you for your continued partnership in your child’s educational journey. I am inspired by the energy, enthusiasm, and fortitude that our students display on a daily basis.
Forward Ever be our Watchword!
Brent Bell
Head of School
