East Point Academy will offer full-day and five-day in-person instruction for school year 2020-21 at both of its West Columbia campus sites. The middle school is on Leaphart Street, off of Sunset Boulevard. The elementary school is on Chris Drive.

East Point Academy is a tuition free Chinese immersion public charter school offering offering four-year-old kindergarten-through-eighth grade. There is still some class space available at East Point, but slots are limited.

The school will require face masks or face shields, but procedures will be monitored in case there is any reduction in the number of COVID-19 cases, said Channing Anderson, East Point’s Information and Technology Coordinator. Students have been safely attending academic summer camps at East Point.

The schools plan also provides parent choice. A virtual option is available for students.

East Point’s Sarah Pryor said about 60 percent of the school’s students will be on campus five days a week for in-person classes.

East Point’s students will belong to the same class, with the same lessons, on the same schedule, with the same teacher whether they choose “On-Campus” or “Off-Campus” learning. Teachers will live-stream all direct instruction to virtual students. The hope is “On-Campus” students will consider their “Off-Campus” classmates part of their class and experience. “There will be collaboration and group work linking the two so that all students are truly a part of the same school,” said Anderson in a press release.

Reaction to the plan on social media has been overwhelmingly positive. East Point parent Shanda Millender wrote “Well done! Our 3 kids are so excited to come back to school. I think in person learning will be best for mine, and I love the health and safety procedures you’ve put in place,” while parent Wilmeika Gunter gushed “East Point will take care of these babies as much as possible. I love this school.”

With a focus on health and safety, East Point Academy has also implemented a series of changes including hand-washing stations, touchless water bottle stations, sanitizing kiosks, desks to facilitate physical distancing and protective gear for all teachers and staff.

When speaking of the school plan, Head of School Mark Bounds said, “I am very happy with our Parent Choice model. From today until the first day of school, we will be working to refine and improve our classroom and virtual teaching techniques so that all our students get a rich and full educational experience. We will also continue to make improvements to our facilities, so that they can be as safe as possible.”

East Point Academy is a East Point Academy is currently accepting applications for the 2020/2021 school year. To learn more, visit www.eastpointsc.org