Letter from Mr. Yost – June 12 Update

Dear Purple Regiment Students and Families,

I am writing this message as there have been several changes that have occurred over the past few weeks, which, I suppose, we should have expected given the way this school year has been. Regardless, I do want to update you as best I can as a significant number of people are asking about one situation or another. First and foremost, please understand that very little has been finalized at this time, but I do hope that we should have some answers over the next few weeks.

As you know, Britni Edwards Wilt has resigned as our color guard coordinator as she is getting married and is moving to Georgia. We interviewed for her position and are incredibly pleased to announce that Kendall Harmon will serve as our colorguard coordinator for the 2020-2021 school year. In addition, while Mr. Tinker will remain on our band staff, he is leaving the education profession full-time to take a position working as a technology professional. Over two dozen applicants applied for this position (from across the state, region, as well as individuals from Iowa, Indiana, and Pennsylvania)! We conducted our first round of interviews last week and are scheduling interviews with the finalists this week. We hope to have a name for the school board to approve on June 22, 2020.

Finally, many students are emailing me asking about our show for this fall. In December of 2019, we began work on a show concept for this Fall. Travis Moddison, our music arranger, completed the music for the winds earlier this Spring. We are hopeful that we can announce a direction for next year’s program soon; however, until we have a better grasp on how the school day will look when school starts back in August, we must continue to delay an official announcement. At this time, there are a number of concerns about COVID-19 and the potential risks on how it might spread within large performing ensembles, like a band. We are awaiting the results of several major research projects currently underway by the University of Colorado at Boulder and Colorado State University – which will analyze the risk and provide guidance for the performing arts community. In addition to these bioaerosol COVID-19 studies, we must follow all directives from the South Carolina State Legislature, the State Department of Education, and our school district.

We received approval to start colorguard and percussion sectionals at the school beginning the week of June 15. Those students participating in these activities must adhere to the same guidelines set forth by the SCHSL for student-athletes.  Please see the attached document for specific policies and expectations for these sectionals. Colorguard and percussion staff will contact students with rehearsal dates and times. For the wind players, we are still planning to have a music rehearsal on July 7, but it may only be in sections, not a full ensemble, and we may need to stagger the arrival and departure times for the groups. I will contact you later this month with more information.

Please ensure you return your intent and medical permission forms to the band office ASAP. If you need any additional forms, visit the band website at https://www.purpleregiment.com/members/forms/.

I will continue to provide updates as information is finalized and approved. In the interim, please continue to be safe and positive. These are incredibly challenging times, and, as always, life is ever-changing and not doing what we expect or what we want. It is totally up to us to decide how we will react to this change and improve as individuals, as a group, and as a society.

Sincerely,
Mark S. Yost
Director of Bands
[email protected]

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PHASE 1 GUIDELINES

1. Maintain minimum physical distancing of six feet between participants at all times.
2. Daily health screening of students and staff by a health care professional or designated full-time district/school employee. If an individual does answer YES to any of these questions, then they cannot participate on that day.

• Fever at 100.4 or higher in the past 72 hours?
• Cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat or new loss of taste or smell, vomiting or diarrhea?
• Contact with a person known to be infected with COVID-19 with the previous 14 days?
• Compromised immune system or chronic diseases?

3. Temperature screening will be done on each student and staff member daily by a health care professional or designated full-time district/school employee. If the temperature is equal to or greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, then that individual will not be allowed to stay on site.
4. Face coverings that completely cover the nose and mouth are required for everyone.
5. Students
   1. Must wear a face covering when not actively participating in the activity.
   2. Face covering or masks should be worn in an activity where the covering is not inhibitory

• Face coverings should not be shared.

1. Non-disposable face coverings should be cleaned and disinfected daily.
2. Coaches and Staff
3. Must wear a face covering at all times while on-site.
4. Students and staff should come dressed for participation.
5. The use of locker rooms and/or offices is prohibited during Phase 1.
6. Bathroom access will be limited to every other stall, with no more people allowed inside than the number of stalls in use.
7. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol or adequate handwashing facilities should be provided for all participants.
8. Students and staff should provide their own equipment. NO EQUIPMENT IS TO BE SHARED AT ANY TIME
9. Individuals should bring a personal water bottle to each workout and not share this bottle with anyone. Disposable cups should be used for those that do not have access to their own water bottle. The use of communal water fountains is not recommended.
10. Personal contact should be avoided at all times. This includes, but is not limited to: high- fives, handshaking, fist-bumping, and chest-bumping.
11. Times for starting and ending workouts should be staggered among multiple activities to avoid having large numbers of students in the same location at the same time.
12. Signs must be posted at the front entrance to alert students and staff not to enter the facility if they have had known exposure to someone with Covid-19 in the past 14 days or have symptoms such as cough, sore throat, fever, shortness of breath, or loss of taste or smell.
13. Signs must be posted at all building entrances advising the public that they may wish to refrain from entering if they are 65 years of age or older or have underlying health conditions including high blood pressure, chronic lung disease, diabetes, severe obesity, asthma or weakened immunity.
14. No spitting of sunflower seeds, tobacco, or sputum is allowed on site.
15. If spectators are permitted to attend, they should remain in an area that provides a reduced opportunity for transmission of any illness while providing an opportunity to observe. Maintain 6 ft. social distancing to the greatest extent possible. Face coverings should be worn in the spectator area if at all possible.