UPDATE - March 25, 2021

On Thursday, March 25, the Richmond County Board of Education approved the transition from Plan B to Plan A for all Pre-K - 12th grade students beginning April 12. Virtual students may continue with remote learning. 

Grades Pre-K-5:

Elementary students will move to Plan A with the minimal social distancing requirements with guidance from the CDC and outlined in the Strong Schools North Carolina Public Health Toolkit. Students will continue to come to school four days a week with a remote Wednesday still in place. Bus seating will allow two students per seat.

Grades 6-8:

Middle schools will move to Plan A with the minimal social distancing requirements with guidance from the CDC and outlined in the Strong Schools North Carolina Public Health Toolkit. Cohorts A and B will combine, and students will attend school four days a week with a remote Wednesday still in place. Bus seating will remain one student per seat.

Grades 9-12:

High schools will move to Plan A with the minimal social distancing requirements with guidance from the CDC and outlined in the Strong Schools North Carolina Public Health Toolkit. Cohorts A and B will combine, and students will attend school four days a week with a remote Wednesday still in place. Bus seating will remain one student per seat.

UPDATE - January 26, 2021

The Richmond County Board of Education voted Tuesday, January 26, to return to learn on February 1 under the same safety protocols as in December before the Winter Break. This means on Monday:

• Elementary and all Pre-K-8 EC Self-Contained face-to-face students will return for in-person instruction with an asynchronous day on Wednesday.
• Students in grades 6-8 will follow their A/B cohort schedules with an asynchronous day on Wednesday.
• High school students will return for state-mandated in-person exams during the week of February 1-5. Cohort schedules for high school students, including EC Self-Contained high school students, will begin the week of February 8 with an asynchronous day on Wednesday.

Below is the full re-entry schedule that will begin the week of February 1. Stay tuned for more re-entry information from your child’s school.

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Las Escuelas del Condado de Richmond reanudarán el aprendizaje en modalidad presencial el 1 de febrero. La Junta de Educación del Condado de Richmond votó, el martes 26 de enero, por la opción de regresar a las escuelas el 1 de febrero bajo los mismos protocolos de seguridad que en diciembre, antes de las vacaciones de invierno. Esto significa que el lunes:

• La primaria y todos los estudiantes de K-8 y EC Self-Contained  regresarán para la instrucción en persona. Los miércoles continuará siendo un día de instrucción asincrónica.

• Los estudiantes en los grados 6-8 seguirán sus horarios de cohortes A/B. Los miércoles continuará siendo un día de instrucción asincrónica.

• Los estudiantes de secundaria regresarán para tomar los exámenes requeridos por el estado, en persona, la semana del 1 al 5 de febrero. Los horarios de cohortes para estudiantes de secundaria, incluyendo los estudiantes de secundaria de EC Self-Contained, comenzarán la semana del 8 de febrero con un día asíncrono, el miércoles.

A continuación se muestra el calendario completo de reingreso que comenzará la semana del 1 de febrero. Manténgase atento para obtener más información sobre el reingreso a la escuela de su hijo.

UPDATE - December 14, 2020

Check out our Remote Learning Frequently Asked Questions document! Here you'll find good reminders on our asynchronous Wednesdays, attendance and who to call if your child's device stops working!

UPDATE - December 10, 2020

In consultation with the Richmond County Health Department, Richmond County Schools has made the decision to temporarily go 100 percent remote for all Richmond County Schools' students beginning Monday, December 14 and extending remote learning at least through Friday, January 29, 2021.

This decision was made due to the increase of community transmissions of COVID-19 and to keep our school family safe.

All learning will continue remotely. Our students will observe Christmas and New Year's holidays December 21 - January 4. Additional information regarding our next steps after January 29 will be made in consultation with our local health department and utilizing CDC guidelines and data from our local and state metrics. As always, our priority will be the safety and well-being of our students and staff.

All high school EOC in-person testing for Biology, Math 1, Math 3 and English II as mandated by the North Carolina Department of Instruction will be postponed until second semester. All CTE state assessments that require in-person administration will also be postponed until second semester.

UPDATE - October 20, 2020

On Tuesday, October 20 the Richmond County Board of Education approved the updated RCS Re-entry Plan to change the Pre-K - 5 and K-12 Exceptional Children separate setting students' weekly schedule.

The second phase of re-entry will begin on Monday, November 2 with close to 600 additional elementary and K-12 EC separate setting students returning for face-to-face instruction. RCS will be providing all elementary and K-12 EC separate setting students with an asynchronous remote learning day on Wednesday of each week. This means, on Wednesday of each week, students will not be engaged in live classes but will be working remotely. Assignments will be posted to Seesaw or Canvas to through an offline resource. RCS staff will continue to report to the school buildings to plan, collaborate, give feedback on assignments, and meet individually with students and families. Student attendance will be taken.

Additionally, with the re-entry of 600 students, the intensive cleaning of buildings and buses will now increase to twice a week - Wednesdays and Fridays.

Middle school and high school families, have until October 25 to complete a survey on returning to school or remaining virtual. Based on the current numbers, it is anticipated that middle school students who choose face-to-face instruction will return in a cohort model the week of November 16.

High school students who choose face-to-face instruction will return in a similar cohort model in January for second semester.

Middle school and high school students and staff will also be provided with an asynchronous day on Wednesdays of each week when their students return (middle school November 16 and high school beginning second semester). Again, this means that on Wednesday of each week, students will not be engaged in live classes but will be working remotely.

UPDATE - October 2, 2020

Richmond County Schools is offering a new way for parents to track their child's bus through an app called "Here Comes the Bus." The app shows the real-time location of your child's bus on a map, gives scheduled and actual arrival times at home and school for bus routes, and provides push and email notifications when the bus is near.

Sign Up Instructions for Parents:

1. Download "Here Comes the Bus" app or visit herecomesthebus.com.
2. Click the "Sign Up" button.
3. Enter the school code 77323 and click "Next" followed by "Confirm."
4. Complete the "User Profile" box.
5. Under "My Students," click "Add." Enter your child's last name and student ID number.
6. Once you confirm your information, you're ready to begin.
7.  

For questions, please contact Christine Smith at the Bus Garage at (910) 997-9841.

UPDATE - September 9, 2020

WiFi Community Update

The Hoffman Recreation Center and the Dobbins Heights Community Center are both open for students to sit in the parking lots and access WiFi. Dobbins Heights Community Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will also be someone on site at the Dobbins Heights Community Center to print off items from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The password to access the WiFi at the Hoffman Recreation Center is "school123."

Other locations to access WiFi include:

• The parking lots at the Richmond County Public Libraries. The passwords are "ROCKINGHAM15" at the Thomas H. Leath Memorial Library, "HAMLET15" at Hamlet Public Library and "ELLERBE15" at Kemp Sugg Memorial Library.
• The Mangum Community Center located at 5838 Grassy Island Road in Mt. Gilead, NC, 27306. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• The "Guest" WiFi is open at all Richmond County schools.

UPDATE - September 1, 2020

On Monday, August 31, Richmond County Schools received a waiver from the United States Department of Agriculture and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction that allows us to use the Summer School Food Service Program to continue serving our students during this pandemic, through the end of the year. This allows all children in Richmond County from age 0 through 18 years of age to eat at no charge.

Meals will be delivered daily using our yellow school buses. A student number will not be required to receive the meals. If you would like meals delivered to your home, please call Debbie Blake at the bus garage at 910-997-9841 to be placed on the drop-off route.

You may also pick up meals curbside at the following sites from 11:30 - 1:30: Hamlet Middle, Cordova Middle, Ninth Grade Academy and Ellerbe Middle. As always, we are here to serve your child nutritious and healthy meals.

UPDATE - August 26, 2020

#teamRCS families, we've seen and heard your questions! Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions document to see answers to questions regarding uniforms, open house, recess, etc. The document will be updated weekly, so be sure to check back for the most updated information! Click the links below.

RCS Re-entry FAQ (English)

RCS Re-entry FAQ (Spanish)

UPDATE - August 13, 2020

Please complete the following form if you would like for your virtual learning student to receive school lunch deliveries. School lunch deliveries will begin on August 24.

Students may also pick up lunches from the following schools starting August 17 between 11:30 and 1:30 - Cordova Middle, Ellerbe Middle, Hamlet Middle, and Richmond Ninth Grade Academy.

Students will need their PowerSchool number to receive meals. If you do not know your child's PowerSchool number, please contact your child's school.

Link to form: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=OFV61hMwrUq8Rrm9f3ASwZlrzMafEyNAmEQyCFLz3UlUQlo5VUNDQ0hUMFFUVkRZREE3VjVVOVQ0Ui4u

UPDATE - July 16, 2020

Are you interested in your elementary child being temporarily enrolled in virtual learning? Teachers will provide a high-quality learning experience that is personalized and will include whole group and small group instruction with teacher support and social and emotional learning in order to ensure the student's well-being.

When the pandemic subsides and schools resume full time, these remote learning classrooms will dissolve and student learning will transition into a face-to-face format. Please be aware that those who register for this option will remain in virtual learning the entire first nine weeks.

RCS wants to ensure applicants for virtual learning understand the characteristics and expectations of a virtual student. Please understand that daily attendance and grading will be documented in Power School similarly to traditional school accountability.

The deadline to apply is July 26!

Link to application: https://bit.ly/3h50Ffp

Haga clic aquí para Español: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfwV2_Os3Vi9mrVUjeaSGSDvA85asF7-vddtXzCbmiG1XXjKQ/viewform

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Richmond Community College classes will be offered in a variety of formats: 1). traditional face-to-face, 2). blend of face-to-face and online, 3). online through anytime learning, and 4). online through real time learning.

This includes classes taken by REaCH students and RSHS students through Richmond CC.

Most students are scheduled for at least one face-to-face class. If you would like to opt out of any face-to-face instruction and complete classes exclusively online, please complete the application below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSds5CTm2ayEy39oZzf9CtX1f87NN7BmrB-13PJSuj4Q-smWcA/viewform

The deadline for applications is July 24!

UPDATE - July 16, 2020

 2020 – 2021 Richmond County Schools Re-entry Plan

Governor Cooper and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services have determined that our schools return August 17 under Plan B.  However, we have also been asked to develop logistics for the other plans based on their interim guidance. Please take the time to review the helpful information in this guidance document.

The following is a summary of the plans:

• Plan A is the least restrictive reopening model and requires minimal social distancing. It most closely resembles a traditional start to school. 

• Plan B adds additional restrictions for social distancing with all staff and students wearing cloth face coverings. Buses will operate with approximately 20 students per bus. 

• Plan C suspends all in-person instruction, meaning our district would continue to utilize remote learning for all students. As coronavirus numbers continue to increase across the state, we cannot downplay the possibility of having a complete virtual model. 

Please know that the RCS plans were created based on the feedback of the more than 2,100 families and staff members who completed our remote learning surveys.  Thank you for your invaluable feedback.  

RCS will begin the 2020-2021 school year in Plan B. However, we anticipate that we may be in various plans throughout the year.

The table below describes each of the Richmond County Schools plans we were asked to develop:

Additionally, please know that RCS hears and understands that many of our families are concerned about an in-person return to school with so many unknowns about COVID-19.  RCS is committed to offering a Plan B temporary elementary virtual option for any student who wishes to complete all their assignments from home.  

Understanding that no plan is perfect; however, our number one priority is keeping our students and staff members safe.  The second priority is redesigning our current structures for teaching, learning and operations.  Hearing your feedback, please know that the RCS Re-entry Work Groups continue to create consistent expectations across our schools to ensure our return will be as smooth as possible, regardless of which plan is being implemented at a given time.  

To reduce the risk of spread during face-to-face instruction in Plan B, the following NC DHHS required safety measures will be in place:

• Masks are required for all students and staff in the school settings. Five cloth masks for all students and staff will be provided. 

• Schools will conduct symptom screenings each day including temperature checks for all students and staff. School nurses will follow protocols for presumptive or confirmed Covid cases.

• Teachers will schedule frequent hand-washing opportunities for students.    Frequent breaks for students outside of their classrooms will also be scheduled throughout the day.

• Regular sanitation of classrooms, bathrooms, and other high-touch areas will occur throughout the day. 

• Water fountains will not be accessible, but water will be provided. Students are permitted to bring their own water bottle.

• Each school will have hallway and classroom markings to ensure social distancing (decals/signs/marked tape).

• Students will eat breakfast and lunch in the classroom.

• Visitors will be limited in school buildings.

• Schools will suspend assemblies and other mass gatherings.

K-12 Re-entry Orientation Sessions for Plan B

All RCS schools will schedule a parent/student orientation throughout the week of August 10-14.  Families will receive information regarding student schedules, health and safety protocols, and attendance and grading expectations.  This will be a time for middle and high school students to complete the necessary paperwork to secure a digital device to use at home for remote learning.

Health and Safety

Community Presentation Video

Career and College Promise

Office of Testing and Accountability

Student Services

Washington Street Walkthrough Video

July 14, 2020

Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced that North Carolina schools will open for both in-person and remote learning with key safety precautions to protect the health of our students, teachers, staff and families. This is the Plan B that schools were asked to prepare. Richmond County Schools' Plan B will be presented to the Board of Education on Thursday, July 16 for approval. We will keep you updated.