Coyote Connection
Volume 1 Issue 4
We miss you!
We have certainly had an interesting first two weeks of school. We sure do miss seeing you all at Forest Creek. We are very appreciative of everyone's patience as we transitioned to a fully virtual platform until our return to face-to-face September 9th. Our teachers and students have done a wonderful job making this transition as seamless as it could be on such a brief notice.
By Monday, our hope is that everyone is a bit more settled into the virtual routine (teachers, students, and parents) and able to conduct learning successfully from home. If there is anything that you need, please reach out to us at FC for assistance. We promise to do what we can to help you. We are in this together. While you are at home, our building is being cleaned and sanitized. We have received a pallet of Chlorox wipes and will make those available to our staff. We hope you all are safe and healthy so that we can get back to school. You are the heartbeat of our campus, and we need you here.
Go 'Yotes!
Christine McNeil
Parent Support Tech Site
Counselor's Corner
Meal Kit Sign-Up
Based on the interest received from our nutrition survey, the district has completed plans to provide meals during the transition to virtual learning. Each meal kit will include seven breakfasts and seven lunches. If you would like to pick up a meal kit for your student please, complete the sign-up form using the link below.
The pick-up will be in the bus loop at Forest Creek Middle School on Wednesday, September 1st from 10 am-12 pm. Please sign up only if you are able to pick up the meal kit. We work hard to balance having enough meals for our students while preventing food and labor waste.
If you have any questions or if you sign up and then decide you are not going to be able to pick up the meal kit, please call our office at 803-802-1968.
If you have more than one student attending Forest Creek you will need to complete the form for each individual student.
Thank You,
The FMSD Student Nutrition Department
COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies - Additions
Due to the increase in positive cases within our district, we want to limit exposure and traffic in the building, when possible. Therefore:
- We do not permit items to be dropped off in our front office. This includes food (school lunches are free- students will not go hungry), books, homework, instruments, or athletic equipment.
- Visitors and volunteers are not allowed in the building at this time.
- Field trips that are out of the district and not for competitive purposes are suspended at this time. Competitions including athletics are currently allowed. Athletic competitions fall under the guidance of the SCHSL.
- Special events such as pep-rallies, open houses, or other large gatherings are not allowed at this time.
- Masks are highly encouraged by the FMSD for students and staff but are not mandated.
Bus Mitigation Strategy Update
The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) announced on July 6, 2021, that it would
no longer enforce the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) January 29, 2021,
Order that requires the use of face coverings by people on public transportation conveyances and hubs, which includes school buses. This decision was made at a time when COVID-19
transmission rates and case counts across South Carolina were very low.
Throughout the pandemic, the SCDE has updated its COVID-19 guidance as conditions have
changed and as more information has become available. It has become apparent based on
COVID-19 data being reported by schools along with increasing levels of the highly
transmissible Delta variant in local communities, that more protective measures are needed to lower the risk of virus transmission and keep our school open and operating as safely as possible.
For this reason, the SCDE will again enforce the CDC’s Order requiring the use of face
coverings by students and staff on state owned and operated school buses. All districts must
be in compliance with this requirement no later than Monday, August 30, 2021.
To facilitate adherence to the CDC Order, the SCDE will equip all state-owned school buses
with an adequate supply of face coverings that meet CDC Order requirements. If a student
boards a bus without a face covering, bus drivers should offer the student a face covering. School districts shall implement disciplinary measures designed to enforce this requirement, including, but not limited to suspending a student from riding a bus. However, no student should be placed in an unsafe situation as a result of attempting to board a bus without a face covering.
The following are attributes of masks needed to fulfill the requirements of the CDC Order.
• A properly worn mask completely covers the nose and mouth.
• Cloth masks should be made with two or more layers of a breathable fabric that is tightly woven (i.e., fabrics that do not let light pass through when held up to a light source).
• Mask should be secured to the head with ties, ear loops, or elastic bands that go behind. the head. If gaiters are worn, they should have two layers of fabric or be folded to make two layers.
• Mask should fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face.
• Mask should be a solid piece of material without slits, exhalation valves, or punctures.
The following attributes are additionally acceptable as long as masks meet the requirements above.
• Masks can be either manufactured or homemade.
• Masks can be reusable or disposable.
• Masks can have inner filter pockets.
• Clear masks or cloth masks with a clear plastic panel may be used to facilitate communication with people who are hearing impaired or others who need to see a speaker’s mouth to understand speech.
• Medical masks and N-95 respirators fulfill the requirements of the Order.
The following do not fulfill the requirements of the Order.
• Masks worn in a way that does not cover both the mouth and nose.
• Face shields or goggles (face shields or goggles may be worn to supplement a mask that meets above required attributes).
• Scarves, ski masks, balaclavas, or bandannas.
• Shirt or sweater collars (e.g., turtleneck collars) pulled up over the mouth and nose.
• Masks made from loosely woven fabric or that are knitted, i.e., fabrics that let light pass through.
• Masks made from materials that are hard to breathe through (such as vinyl, plastic or leather).
• Masks containing slits, exhalation valves, or punctures.
• Masks that do not fit properly (large gaps, too loose or too tight).
The following narrow subset of persons with disabilities are exempt from CDC’s requirement to wear a mask:
• A person with a disability who, for reasons related to the disability, would be physically unable to remove a mask without assistance if breathing becomes obstructed. Examples might include a person with impaired motor skills, quadriplegia, or limb restrictions.
• A person with an intellectual, developmental, cognitive, or psychiatric disability that affects the person’s ability to understand the need to remove a mask if breathing becomes obstructed.
Face Coverings on School Buses Update
Page 3
August 27, 2021
phone: 803-734-8500 ● fax: 803-734-3389 ● ed.sc.gov
The following persons with disabilities might be exempt from CDC’s requirement to wear a mask based on factors specific to the person:
• A person with a disability who cannot wear a mask because it would cause the person to be unable to breathe or have respiratory distress if a mask were worn over the mouth and nose. A person with a condition that causes intermittent respiratory distress, such as asthma, likely does not qualify for this exemption because people with asthma, or other similar conditions, can generally wear a mask safely.
• A person with a disability requiring the use of an assistive device, such as for mobility or communication, that prevents the person from wearing a mask and wearing or using the assistive device at the same time. If use of the device is intermittent and the person can remove the mask independently to use the device, then a mask must be worn during periods when the person is not using the device.
• A person with a severe sensory disability or a severe mental health disability who would pose an imminent threat of harm to themselves or others if required to wear a mask. Persons who experience discomfort or anxiety while wearing a mask without imminent threat of harm would not qualify for this exemption.
A driver does not need to wear a mask if they are the only person on the bus.
Additional guidance for safe school bus operations and the CDC Order can be found in the references below.
References: • https://www2.ed.gov/documents/coronavirus/reopening.pdf
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/face-masks-public-transportation.html
Covid Information / FMSD Dashboard
7th Grade Parents - Immunization Deadline is Approaching (Sept 14) - 7th graders are not permitted to attend school without an updated certificate on file.)
DHEC reminds parents/guardians that South Carolina law requires that all students entering 7th grade receive one (1) dose of Tdap vaccine. The Tdap vaccine protects preteens and teens from three serious diseases: tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). It is important to know that there are three other vaccines that all preteens and teens are recommended to receive: human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, a cancer prevention vaccine, meningococcal vaccine (MenACWY) that prevents some types of meningitis, and the yearly flu vaccine.
Talk to your child’s health care provider now about what vaccines he or she needs. You should also ask about these vaccines at a physical exam required for sports or camp. Remember to get an updated SC Certificate of Immunization at the visit to give to your school nurse.
This must be in our nurse's hands by September 14 or your 7th grade will not be permitted to attend school. This certificate is required by state law for school attendance.
You may email your student's updated immunization record to Nurse Hazen @ hazenk@fortmillschools.org.
Your local DHEC health department also can provide these vaccines. Call 1-855-472-3432 to make an appointment. For more information about vaccinations in South Carolina, go to http://scdhec.gov/Health/Vaccinations/
Interested in the FCMS PTO?
Looking for Athletics Information?
Go 'Yotes!
Christine V. McNeil, Principal
Website: https://fcms.fortmillschools.org/
Location: 2212 White Road Fort Mill SC 29715
Phone: 803-396-3450
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forestcreekmiddleschool