William James Middle School

Access Bulloch County Schools' real-time report of confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 and quarantines here.

This website provides data for Bulloch County Schools' confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, clusters, and direct exposures that result in quarantine as reported by the school district's medical personnel and administrators using robust and secure protocol developed in partnership with the Department of Public Health. This website is updated in real time as cases are reported. While our school district medical personnel collect, monitor, and report other health data to the Department of Public Health, this online report will focus on confirmed cases, clusters, and quarantines/exposures.

• Case: A reported case is an employee or student in either the school district's virtual or on-campus learning programs, who has received a confirmed positive diagnosis of COVID-19.  A reported case does not mean that the individual was physically in or on school property (building, athletic facilities or bus) on the day the case was reported.
• Quarantines/Exposures: A healthy student or employee who has direct exposure to a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 on or in school district property (building, athletic facilities or bus) or they are the family member of a student or employee who has a confirmed positive case. Direct exposure means that the person was in contact with a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 within less than six feet for 15 minutes or more. A direct exposure does not mean that they person will become ill. The person is quarantined and monitored for 14 days to see if symptoms arise. Currently less than 1.5 percent of persons exposed to a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 within the school district develops symptoms or tests positive.
• COVID-19 Clusters:  A cluster exists and is reported to the Department of Public Health if there are two or more people who were on or in school district property who developed COVID-19 symptoms or had a confirmed positive test within 14 days of each other, and who had been in direct close contact with each other. This is reported in order to monitor a potential outbreak or spread in a specific area.
• Isolations: Isolation separates people who are sick for any reason from people who are not. COVID-19 has a wide range of symptoms, some of which mirror other common illnesses. Based on our protocols developed with the Department of Public Health, some students and employees may stay home or be sent home to isolate for up to 10 days if they are sick. An isolated person can return to school if they receive an alternate, non-COVID diagnosis from a healthcare provider or have a negative COVID-19 test. An isolated person must also be symptom-free and fever free for 24 hours without the aid of fever-reducing drugs to return to work or school.

Isolation numbers are not included in this online data because their COVID-19 status is unknown, and they may receive an alternate diagnosis from a medical provider. If an isolated person receives a confirmed positive COVID-19 diagnosis, then this online report will reflect that data.

• Students and Employees*:  The data reflects students and employees in both the school district's virtual learning and traditional on-campus learning programs because even those in the virtual program may be in or on school property.  College interns, student teachers, Statesboro-Bulloch County Parks & Recreation Department Afterschool personnel, and contracted services personnel who serve on our campuses are included in the data of this report as well.

• All schools practice deep cleaning measures throughout the day, and areas where a COVID-19 person has been will receive immediate deep cleaning.
• Only students whose parents were contacted are quarantined. Other students may remain and return to school.

How is COVID-19 related absence information monitored?

• School nurses will collect information on students and employees that are out for isolation or quarantine due to reasons related to COVID-19 so that the school district can adequately monitor their absence and their return to school or work. 
• The school district will actively communicate with the Department of Public Health when school or district personnel become aware of a confirmed case of COVID-19 that affects an employee or student who has been in or on school district property. School nurses have the necessary contact information to do this. 
• The Department of Public Health will handle  contact tracing for contacts outside the school environment related to a confirmed case. 

How will parents whose child has been exposed to a COVID-19 positive person be notified and what are their next steps?

• School nurses will monitor employees' and students' isolation and quarantine/exposure periods   
• During the quarantine/exposure 14-day period, school nurses and Department of Public Health will monitor persons for any COVID-19 symptoms. Person will also receive daily follow up communication the Department of Public Health. .
• At no time will any individual health information about other students or employees be shared with anyone.  The privacy of individual student health information is protected by the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act, and individual school district employee health information is protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

How will the public be informed of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases?

• The school district’s Public Relations Department will maintain an area on the district website that provides up-to-date information about confirmed positive COVID-19 cases and any resulting quarantines/exposures.
• This information will be site specific, but will not include any specific information related to the individual(s) involved.   

How will students who are absent due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis or voluntary quarantine receive instruction or make up work?

• As a student is well and able, the school district’s distance learning option is activated for them, and the student will receive instruction and assignments at home from their Bulloch County Schools teachers via Google Classroom and Google Meet.
• Once a child can return after a quarantine period, face-to-face learning can resume.

How should families conduct daily self-checks to help stop the spread of COVID-19?

Before you go to work or school, follow these steps that were sent home with students and made available on our website

Note: Register for one of these sessions only if you plan to move your child to Bulloch County Schools' Virtual Learning Program for the second semester.  At this time, these sessions are not for parents of current virtual learners or learners who are and will remain in face-to-face learning.

Parent Orientation Sessions for New Virtual Learners

Bulloch County Schools will host parent orientation sessions for families who plan to move their child to the school district's virtual learning program for the second semester.  Parents may register to attend one of these sessions either face-to-face or virtually via Zoom.

The sessions are October 15, from 6-7 p.m., and Monday, October 26, from 10 - 11 a.m., in the Central Office Cafeteria, located at 150 Williams Road in Statesboro (Enter entrance E under the portico on the southeast side of the building). The virtual and face-to-face sessions are at the same date and time. 

Please register for either a face-to-face or Zoom session, so that we can properly prepare for your attendance.  If you need translation services for either session, please contact Georgianna Darsey by email or call 912.212.8555.

Register to attend a Parent Orientation Session

If you register to attend a session via Zoom, these are the links to access those sessions:

• October 15, 6-7 p.m. Online Parent Orientation Session via Zoom
• October 26, 10 - 11 a.m. Online Parent Orientation Session via Zoom

Visit our Virtual Learning Program Website for orientation information, virtual teacher websites, technology help, and resources. 

Parents who wish to change the instructional model (virtual or face-to-face) for their child for the second semester may do so October 12 through October 28, by 11:59 p.m., via a personalized link that will be sent to parents' email and text message accounts on October 12. Parents will receive a unique link for each child, but only have to use it if they wish to submit a request to change models.  The second semester begins on Wednesday, January 6.

Look for an email from messenger@bullochschools on October 12, in your email account, and remember to check your account's spam folder. Parents who do not receive an email or text message with the link may email Carole Colson or call 912.212.8562.

The issued links will only be for students enrolled in Kindergarten through 12th grade. If applicable, both parents may receive a child's form link. Parents are asked to coordinate with each other to ensure that a form is only submitted one time for a child.

Parents of pre-kindergarten students who wish to change instructional models should contact the principal of their child's school to discuss whether a model change option is available.

October 28, at 11:59 p.m., is the firm deadline to make instructional model change requests. After October 28, students for whom a change request was not received, will remain in their current instructional model for the second semester.

For students who switch from virtual to face-to-face learning, all devices and equipment checked out to a student for virtual learning must be returned to the child's school between Monday, January 4 and Wednesday, January 6. 

Bulloch County Schools' middle school and high school athletic programs are following Georgia High School Athletic Association guidelines for all sports operations for student athletes, coaches, event spectators, and athletic venues. As our high schools begin to host football games, which traditionally have the largest teams and highest number of spectators, please review the attached guidelines for Portal Middle High School, Southeast Bulloch High School, and Statesboro High School football games.  Stadium capacities are limited, there are specific ticketing requirements, and there are multiple guidelines in place to ensure social distancing.  We appreciate your support as we guard the health of our students, employees, community, and guests.

COVID-19:Stop the Spread- Daily Reference Guide for Families  

In the interest of public health and to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Bulloch County Schools has put in place preventative measures at all of its offices, schools, and other buildings and locations. Your family has a key role in keeping our schools as safe and healthy as possible. Please refer to our COVID-19: Stop the Spread - A Daily Reference Guide for Families website to remind you of your daily role before school. A printed reference flyer will be sent home with each child the first week of school. Please refer to the flyer or website daily to determine if your child should attend school.

Bulloch County Schools' School Nutrition Department will provide meal service to all families whose children are the following:

• Enrolled in the school district's virtual learning program for grades Pre-K - 12.
• Enrolled in the school district's traditional learning program, but are temporarily at home due to a 10-day isolation or 14-or-more-day quarantine due to COVID-19 symptoms or direct exposure to a confirmed positive case.

How to Order? 

Parents/Guardians must complete this online meal service pre-order form by each Thursday to be able to pick up meals on the following Monday. The online form is available on each district and school website and social media. It was also emailed to all virtual program  and distance learning parents and students. Keep the link to use each week.

What Does a Meal Box Cost?

• Breakfast is free for all students.
• Lunches:
  • Temporarily there is no cost due to a USDA waiver that may end December 18, 2020 or earlier. When the waiver ends, these are the costs:
    • $11.25 per week for Pre-K -5th grade students who qualify for full-priced meals  

    • $12.50 per week for 6th - 12th grade students who qualify for full-priced meals. 

    • $2.00 per week for Pre-K - 12th grade students who qualify for reduced-priced meals. 

    • Free, no cost for Pre-K - 12th grade students who qualify for free meals.  

How Do You Pay for Meals?

Temporarily there is no cost due to a USDA waiver that extends through the end of the school year.  After that time, the school district uses MySchoolBucks to provide parents/guardians a convenient online website and mobile application from which to manage a meal payment account and make payments online. You can also make a payment by cash or check at curbside when you pick up your meals.

What Do You Receive?

This service provides a one-week supply of five breakfasts and five lunches for each child in grades Pre-Kindergarten - 12th. The first two week's menus are attached below. Thereafter, the meal menus will be the same as those served in the traditional program, and the menus are posted on the school district's website and printed in the local newspaper.

Who Can Pick Up? Meals may be picked up by a parent, guardian, caregiver, or the student if he or she is old enough to drive.

What Time to Pick Up? There are two available time frames to choose from for meal pickup: 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. or 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Where Do I Pick Up Meals? 

• Meal boxes are for curbside pick up only on Mondays when school is in session or an alternate day when holidays occur.
• The pick up locations are outside each of the school district's nine elementary schools. 
  • Families with children in middle and high school, will go to their home's zoned elementary school to pick up meals. 
  • School Nutrition staff will set up outside the elementary schools during the two time frames.
  • They will place a box of food for each child inside the family's or student's vehicle.
  • Participants are asked to remain in their vehicle.

What if I miss my pick up time? 

Due to the perishable nature of the food and our school nutrition personnel's schedules for on-campus meals, the school district is unable to accommodate any alternate pick up times for those who do not come to pick up their pre-orders. Please ensure that you are able to pick up your order at either of the assigned times prior to placing an order.

How does my child qualify for free or reduced-priced meals?

• If your child was a student in our school district last year, and he or she qualified for either free or reduced-priced meals last year, your family's application is still valid for your child to continue to receive free or reduced-priced meals through September 29, 2020. 
• To either apply to qualify for free/reduced-priced meals as a new student or to renew your previous year's application, a parent or guardian must complete a 2020-2021 Free & Reduced-Price Meal Application.
• Our school district will provide a printed application to all students or you can complete the application online via this link. 
• A completed form must be received and processed prior to September 29, for returning students to continue to receive this benefit.