Lexington Two’s Board of Trustees approved an immediate temporary emergency mask requirement Thursday for the district’s students, employees and visitors. The temporary policy will be in effect September 3, 2021, through October 31, 2021. Students, staff and visitors will be required to wear a mask, barring an approved medical exemption, while on district property, on district transportation or while attending a district-related activity or event, regardless of vaccination status. Anyone without a mask will be provided one.

You can read the full story here: https://www.lex2.org/apps/news/article/1488967

Under the guidance of the federal Office of Civil Rights, the South Carolina Department of Education requires all districts to report students who are “chronically absent.” Chronically absent students are defined as having missed 10% of the total days within a school year. Research shows that students with a history of chronic absenteeism face a serious risk of falling behind in school, thus making it more difficult for them to succeed in the classroom.

As part of these requirements, South Carolina students will now be considered “absent” if they miss 50% of their instructional day for ANY reason, regardless of the classification of the absence as excused or unexcused. This means Lexington Two students must be present for at least half of the instructional day to be considered “present” for that school day.

For our school, these attendance requirements look like this:

School Start Time - 7:30am

School End Time - 2:10pm

Time Required in School to be Counted Present Per Day - 3hours, 20 minutes

*The attendance requirements for receiving credit or promotion are:

School Maximum Absences Allowed

Elementary - 10 absences (per year-long class)

Please note that chronic absenteeism is NOT the same as truancy. According to state law, a child is considered truant if they have 3 consecutive unlawful absences or a total of 5 unlawful absences. Once a student becomes truant, the district is required to develop a written intervention plan with the parent/guardian.

Find additional information in the attachments below.

Also worth noting: For 2021-22, the district has enacted changes for allowable time to submit excuses for medical-related absences. That information is contained in the 2020 attachments below.

• 2020 English language attendance & policy laws

• 2020 Spanish language attendance policy & laws

Per the current Lex 2 guidelines; your child will need to be excluded from school for fever, reports of a loss of taste or smell, a new or worsening cough, or having difficulty breathing. Other Covid-like symptoms (GI symptoms, nasal congestion, sore throat, fatigue, body aches, or headache) may require and exclusion from school. If your child is excluded from school; they will need either a negative Covid test (not a home test), a medical note for return to school, or 10 days have passed since the start of symptoms being 24 hours fever-free and an overall improvement in symptoms. Please use this link after school hours & weekends to report if your child is positive for Covid, has had a close contact to Covid or has Covid-like symptoms. https://forms.gle/8dGzPbZHejjsvZBy5

Hello! My name is Alexis Myers and I am the Parent Liaison here at Congaree Elementary. My main purpose is to bridge the communication between school and home by assisting parents with the information, support, and help needed to ensure our students’ academic and social success in school. Use the QR code to contact me with any questions/concerns.

All students ages 18 and under will be served free meals for the 2021-2022 school year in Lexington Two schools. The free meals are related to USDA’s extension of flexibilities that have helped feed students amid COVID-19.

Lexington Two also will continue to serve meals during holiday breaks and during periods of school closure during temporary remote learning amid COVID-19.

While students will eat free, we still encourage families to fill out a Free and Reduced Lunch Application. Families who qualify may be eligible for additional benefits such as:

• P-EBT Eligibility
• Discounts on Internet Services
• Reduced or Waived Registration Fees, Exam Fees & College Application Fees

FREE MEALS DURING SCHOOL CLOSURES

Lexington Two students will be able to get free breakfast and lunch meal bundles during times when classes are not meeting on the school campus, as well as during school breaks.

Times, locations and other details of meal distribution are typically announced in advance of school closures or school breaks. Information will be shared with Lexington Two families through websites, social media, BrightArrow notifications and other communications channels.

If you plan to pick up meals at a school site, preordering of free meals is recommended to ensure availability. Instructions for curbside pickup are outlined below.

Questions? Call the food services office at (803) 739-8381.

HOW TO REGISTER AND PLACE AN ORDER FOR PICKUP AT SCHOOL SITES

Details about school locations for pickup are released when free meals are being offered.

Step 1: Register for a PayPams Account

Families will need to first register at www.paypams.com before they can reserve their meals.

1. Visit www.paypams.com
2. Click SIGN UP NOW
3. Select State: SC
4. Click Submit
5. Double Click: Lexington School District Two
6. Click Continue
7. Complete the requested information
8. Click Create Account
9. Review Summary
10. Click Submit, if information is correct. If not, click Edit.
11. Enter your student’s First Name, Last Name and Date of Birth
12. Click Add
13. Click Add more to add additional Students
14. Repeat this process for each student

Step 2: Place Your Order

1. Log on to PayPams.com
2. Click on Meal Ordering
3. Choose your Location for Meal Pickup by selecting the Pickup Location
4. Click Submit Order (look for confirmation #)
5. Repeat process for other students
6. Remember to pick up meals on the correct distribution day/time

The free meals are a result of the USDA’s extension of its summer meals program, amid COVID-19.

Attached Files

• Info--Free and Reduced Meal Application for 2021-2022.pdf