Following hundreds of hours of planning, numerous community surveys, and careful consideration of the global climate, Salisbury Christian School (SCS) has released plans to open its doors for in-person education in Fall 2020. The school has included a unique component in this reopening plan, however – the opportunity for families to choose online distance learning, if desired.
“When our community speaks, we listen,” says Dr. Cathy Townsend, SCS Head of School. “We have surveyed our families throughout the summer and the response has been overwhelmingly in favor of returning to ‘traditional’ school in the fall.”
Shown are Salisbury Christian School students during the last school year.
As a result, Salisbury Christian School administrators have dedicated their summer to preparing for a safe return in September. This plan includes safety precautions like daily temperature-taking of all students and staff, lunchtime observed in classrooms, strategic mask-wearing during certain activities, social distancing within classrooms, and even block scheduling for grades six through 12 in order to reduce interactions in hallways.
The Salisbury Christian School administration recognizes, however, that not all families are prepared for an on-campus return to school, so they are offering a fully-developed distance learning plan for students who must stay home for health precautions, whether temporarily or for the duration of the pandemic. Families may choose in-person or distance learning instruction on a month-to-month basis.
“The individual needs of each of our 400 families matter deeply to us,” shares Dr. Steven Lamkin, SCS Principal and Coastal Style Magazine’s Best Administrator in Wicomico County. “Therefore, we are capitalizing on our adaptive nature as a private school to offer choice and a seamless transition between in-person and distance learning instruction in this continued landscape of uncertainty.”
“I’m confident that the safety of our students is of paramount importance to the school,” says Mrs. Kristy Hardison, SCS parent. “This year – junior year – is a critical one for my daughter, and I know that SCS has successfully balanced academics with student safety when making their reopening decisions.”
Salisbury Christian School – recently voted Coastal Style Magazine’s Best School in Wicomico County – serves students in PreK3 to grade 12 from all across the Eastern Shore. The school provides bus transportation from Laurel, Seaford, Millsboro, Cambridge, and – new this year – Berlin and Ocean City. Salisbury Christian is currently open for enrollment and is offering personal campus tours. The school will also be holding a Virtual Open House on Aug. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Open House attendees will receive a waived application fee, saving $250. Anyone interested in a Christ-centered, comprehensive education can attend this Zoom-hosted event by registering at www.salisburychristian.org.
