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General School System Information
General School System Information

 

School Board

The schools are governed by a five-member board responsible for setting system-wide school policies designed to deliver the best possible education to each child. These policies govern budgetary, facility, and personnel resources, as well as the students, faculty, and staff at each school, and ensure that the local schools comply with state and federal laws. School board members are elected from five districts and consider themselves servants of all Effingham County school children and their parents/guardians, representing the best interests of all citizens and all fifteen schools currently operating in the district. Board members are elected every two years on a staggered basis and hold four-year terms. Board members, as part of their service, expect to hear from constituents regarding school-related issues. Parents/Guardians and individuals who seek information regarding their own children’s unique circumstances are asked to review the policies contained in the Appendix, speaking first with their children’s teacher, and then the school principal, before contacting other administrative personnel and board members about those issues.  

Website: www.effinghamschools.com
Phone: (912) 754-6491

School Districts

Public education from kindergarten through high school is free for all children who are bona fide residents of Effingham County. Upon request by the school, the parent or guardian shall be required to present proof of residency (such as an electric bill, city water bill, etc.) and to certify that the student is a full time resident (i.e., 12 months a year). Each school age child must attend the appropriate school located in the school district of this county in which he or she resides unless formally approved to do otherwise.

Anyone with a question regarding residency and the school district should contact the Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services.

Mr. Timothy Hood
Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services
Effingham County Board of Education
405 N. Ash St | Springfield, GA 31329
Phone: (912) 754-6491

The school district boundaries are evaluated by the Board of Education from time to time as the county’s population grows and
new schools are built. There are no guarantees offered by the board to county residents and taxpayers regarding the lines separating school districts. The board reserves the right to adjust district lines to maintain appropriate school and class size in the best interest of every boy and girl.

School Councils

Effingham County schools have councils in place on each campus. Councils are primarily concerned with school improvement that leads to academic success for every student. Council members will be elected on a staggered basis every year to hold two-year terms. Anyone interested in learning more about school councils may contact their school principal.

For more information regarding school councils, please visit our district website at effinghamschools.com/school-council.

Visitors, Volunteers, & Chaperones

All visitors to school campuses must report to the front office before visiting other parts of the school, as required by O.C.G.A. § 20-2-1180. A visitor’s badge will be issued that will provide identification for the individual visiting the campus. Persons not wearing such a badge will not be allowed on campus. Unauthorized visitors will be requested to leave, and failure to do so will result in official misdemeanor charges of a high and aggravated nature. Visitors are allowed to visit only the areas requested.

Please check with the front office at the school site for further clarification of their visitation procedures. These measures are necessary to protect children from unauthorized persons.

The Effingham County School System does not require everyone who visits a school to complete the Mandated Reporter training process, so to help differentiate between a school visitor, volunteer, chaperone, and contracted service provider we have created brief descriptions.

Parental Visitor ▶
A parental visitor acting in the role of a parent/guardian is not required to register as a volunteer or complete the child abuse training. Examples include: parent-teacher conferences, 504/IEP meetings, classroom events, PTO activities, field day, or lunch with their child.
Non-Parental Visitor ▶
A non-parental visitor (e.g., community members, civic leaders, business partners) is not required to register as a volunteer or complete Mandated Reporter training if they are on campus briefly and under school supervision.
School Volunteer ▶
A school volunteer is a non-paid individual who assists regularly under school staff supervision—helping with tasks like making copies, escorting students, assisting in the office, or leading student groups. Volunteers must complete Mandated Reporter training.
Chaperone ▶
A chaperone is any non-school personnel attending an off-campus school activity (e.g., a field trip). All chaperones must complete Mandated Reporter training before participation.
Contracted Service Provider ▶
A contracted service provider is a district-approved third party that has a memorandum of understanding or contract with the district to provide a necessary service for the operation of the district. All providers must sign in, complete Mandated Reporter training, and undergo a background check.
 
Only those children enrolled in an Effingham County school shall be able to utilize school facilities, equipment, and programs, and participate in extracurricular and co-curricular activities subject to all other existing rules of participation. 
For more information regarding volunteers and chaperones, please visit our district website at                             effinghamschools.com/volunteers-chaperones.

Parent & Booster Clubs

Parent and Booster organizations offer parents many opportunities to get involved and work in support of public schools to the benefit of our children. For more information about these organizations, check with band directors, athletic directors, coaches, and principals.

The school board prohibits door-to-door sales by students due to the fact that doing so can be dangerous and/or threatening to the safety of children. Students who participate in door-to-door fundraising for a school-sponsored organization do so without the school board's permission.

Enrollment/Withdrawal

According to Effingham County Board of Education policy, each school-age child must attend the appropriate school in the district of the county in which he/she resides unless approval has been granted to do otherwise. Registration of students in grades Kindergarten-12 who have never attended an Effingham County School or have been off roll from Effingham County Schools for more than ten consecutive school days must complete an online application and upload required documents.

For those who cannot upload documents, there is a drop box on the porch of the Central Registration Center:
306 N. Ash St.
Springfield, GA 31329
A link for online registration can be found on the district website by visiting www.effinghamschools.com/CRC.
Appointments can be made on an as needed basis by calling Central Registration at 912.754.2530.

The enrollment age for Kindergarten requires that children be five years old on or before September 1 of the current school year; first-grade children must be six years old on or before September 1 of the current school year. Transfer students from other school systems are provisionally enrolled pending receipt of their academic and disciplinary records from the school(s) they have previously attended during the previous 24 months. A transfer student’s most recent report card and evaluation by Effingham school officials will determine a student’s class assignment and placement. In the event that there is a delay in receipt of complete academic records, a student may be temporarily assigned to classes and programs based on information provided by the parent. In this event, class assignment and program placement may be changed upon receipt of complete academic records. If there is a delay in receipt of records of more than 10 days, students may be assigned to remote learning or required to complete a case management consultation. Students transferring between two Effingham County schools as a result of an address change must present a Change of Address form and updated proof of residency. This documentation may be submitted to any Effingham County school or the district’s Central Registration Center.

In the interest of maintaining a safe and productive school environment for all children, and in accordance with state law, parents will also be asked to provide any information about a child’s history with law enforcement and the judicial system, if such exists. Under O.C.G.A § 20-2-751.2 (b), a local board of education which has a student who attempts to enroll or who is enrolled in any school in its school system during the time in which that student is subject to a disciplinary order is authorized to refuse to enroll or subject that student to short-term suspension, long-term suspension, or expulsion for any time remaining in that other school system’s or school’s disciplinary order upon receiving a certified copy of such order if the offense which led to such suspension or expulsion in the other school system or school was an offense for which suspension or expulsion could be imposed in the enrolling school. Additionally, under O.C.G.A § 20-2-768 (a), each local board of education is authorized to refuse to readmit or enroll any student who has been suspended or expelled for being convicted of, being adjudicated to have committed, being indicted for, or having information filed for the commission of any felony or any delinquent act under O.C.G.A. §§ 15-11-602 and 15-11-707 which would be a felony if committed by an adult.

The parent or guardian who registers a child for school will then control the child's enrollment, enrollment information, who has access to the child while at school, who can transport the child to and from school, and who can transfer the child to another school. Georgia Law (O.C.G.A. 20-2-780) states that no person shall make a change of custody of a minor child by removing the child from the premises of a private or public elementary or secondary school without the permission of the person who enrolled the child in the school, notwithstanding (in spite of the fact that/even if) the person seeking to obtain custody of the child from the school has a court order granting custody of the child to such person. 

Student Enrollment Requirements

In order to complete the registration process, the following documents are required. These can be uploaded during the online application process at www.effinghamschools.com/CRC.

If you cannot upload documents, there is a drop box at the Central Registration Center, or you can call to make an appointment at 912.754.2530.

Required Documents:

  • Proof of Residency - must be CURRENT (less than 30 days old): Parent/Guardian MUST provide a current electric, water, or gas bill AND one of the following:
    • Current Driver’s License with matching address
    • Current Residential Property Tax statement or bill
    • Current Lease/Rental Agreement WITH current rent receipt
    • Current Home Purchase and Sales Agreement
    • Current Mortgage Statement
    • Current Homeowner/Renters Insurance

    Note: Cell phone bills will not be accepted as valid proof of residence.

  • Certified copy of student’s original birth certificate or other acceptable evidence of age as specified in Effingham County Board of Education Policy JBC (School Admissions).
  • A copy of the enrolling student’s social security card. Social security numbers are used by Effingham County Schools as a student identifier when reporting to the Georgia Department of Education and to the Georgia Student Finance Commission, as required to establish eligibility for financial aid including HOPE scholarship. Social security numbers may also be reported to the Georgia Department of Human Services in billing for certain services provided to Medicaid-eligible students, with parental permission. (Parent may elect to sign a form at the time of registration stating the individual does not wish to provide the social security number, pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 20-2-150.)
  • Completed Georgia Certificate of Immunization (Form 3231) and Georgia Certificate of Vision, Hearing, Dental, and Nutrition Screening (Form 3300). Alternately, parents may be issued a temporary waiver by providing an appointment card from a healthcare provider showing they have made an immunization appointment.
  • Custody papers through the court or applicable affidavit provided for in policy JBCA (Resident Students) if student lives with anyone other than the natural parents, as listed on the birth certificate
  • Any court orders that prevent or limit access of a parent to the child or the child’s educational records.
  • Any restraining orders or other legal documents specifically limiting the access of any individual to the student(s) being enrolled.
  • Picture ID of parent/guardian registering child. Picture ID may be government issued identification, employee identification, student identification, or other identification that provides acceptable evidence of the registering parent or guardian’s identity.
  • If the family is living in the household with someone else, you must submit a Family Residency Affidavit signed by the homeowner stating that the parent and child(ren) live in the house with them, along with valid proof of residency. A Family Residency Affidavit is valid for 12 months. The signatures of both the parent/legal guardian and the person the family is living with must be notarized by an ECSD employee on this statement. Also, when you complete the online application, please be prepared to provide the following information in order to complete the enrollment process:
    • Student/Parent Phone Numbers, Addresses, and E-Mail Addresses (if applicable)
    • Emergency Contact Phone Numbers
    • Physician Name & Phone Number (optional)
    • Documentation of any health concerns or allergies of which the school should be aware
In accordance with the Effingham County Schools JBC(1) (Homeless Students Policy) and the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, students experiencing homelessness shall not have their enrollment denied or delayed due to lack of any document normally required for enrollment.

Pre-K Program Registration

Children must be four years old on or before September 1 of the upcoming school year to be eligible for the Effingham County Pre-K program, as required by the Bright from the Start: Department of Early Care and Learning. Only valid Effingham County residents or full-time district employees (Georgia residents only) are eligible for the Pre-K lottery drawing. Pre-K students cannot be co-enrolled in multiple Pre-K programs (either public or private). Pre-K students are not eligible for school choice. Additionally, Pre-K students are not eligible for residential or childcare hardship situations.

Enrollment: Maximum Age

All students who have not attained the age of 20 by September 1 are eligible for enrollment in appropriate education programs, unless they have received a high school diploma or the equivalent. Students who have not dropped out of school for one complete semester or more and who have not attained the age of 21 by September 1 are eligible for enrollment, provided they have not received a high school diploma or the equivalent. Federal law declares that a free appropriate public education must be made available for all children three through 21 years of age with IDEA defined disabilities.

Withdrawal

In accordance with state law O.C.G.A. § 20-2-780, the parent or guardian who enrolls a student is the only person who may withdraw the student from school.
 
When a 16 or 17-year-old student desires to withdraw from school, he/she must have the written permission of his/her parent or guardian prior to withdrawing. Prior to accepting such permission, a school administrator and the student’s guidance counselor will have a conference with the student and parent/legal guardian within two school days of receiving notice of the intent of the student to withdraw. The purpose of the conference is to share with the student and parent/guardian educational options available and the consequences of not earning a high school diploma.

Parents should notify the student’s teacher a day or two in advance of withdrawal of a student. If transferring to a school outside of Effingham County, permanent records will be forwarded to the new school upon receipt of the request for records, signed by the parent. If transferring to another Effingham County school, the records will be automatically sent. Original permanent records will not be given to parents to hand-carry to a new school. 

All textbooks, technology items, and media materials must be returned prior to withdrawal. If a parent wishes to withdraw a student, it is requested that the school be notified at least two days in advance, if possible, to allow time to complete the necessary paperwork and collect all materials. High school students should be especially mindful of these guidelines. Failure to adhere to these procedures may cause difficulty in receiving proper credit for completed courses towards graduation.

Central Registration Center

New student enrollment is managed by:

Central Registration
306 N. Ash Street
Springfield, GA 31329
Phone: 912.754.2530

Registration can be completed online at www.effinghamschools.com/CRC.

Parents' Rights to Know Qualifications

Parents may request the following information regarding teacher qualifications as required by the “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA): Information regarding their student’s classroom teacher’s certificate or credentials, and/or college major and graduate degree information. Parents may also request information regarding the licensing and training of paraprofessionals. 

Requests may be made in writing to the school principal or: Dr. Kirbi Ratner
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources
Effingham County Board of Education
405 N. Ash St | Springfield, GA 31329

Nondiscrimination Notice

State law prohibits discrimination based on gender in athletic programs of local school systems (Equity in Sports Act, O.C.G.A. §20-2-315). Students are hereby notified that the Effingham County School System does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its education programs (including athletics), activities it operates, nor in admission to or employment in its education program or activities. 

For inquiries or complaints, contact the Sports Equity/Title IX Coordinator:
Mr. Timothy Hood
Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services
Effingham County Board of Education
405 N. Ash St | Springfield, GA 31329
Phone: (912) 754-6491
 
Inquiries or complaints concerning sports equity in this system may be submitted to the Sports Equity/Title IX Coordinator.

School Nutrition

Effingham County Schools participate in the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. Meals are planned to meet USDA Dietary Guidelines while providing students choices from a variety of nutritional food items offered. 

Prices for school meals are as follows:

Meal Daily Weekly
BREAKFAST $1.75 $8.75
Reduced $0.30 $1.50
LUNCH $2.75 $13.75
Reduced $0.40 $2.00

Meals and a la carte items may be paid for at the point of purchase, or parents may opt to pre-pay for meals either by the  week or for longer periods of time. Parents may pre-pay for student meals with cash, check, and credit or debit card using the online service “MySchoolBucks.”

Information on how to enroll and participate in this program can be found at ecsdnews.com/myschoolbucks.
Information on how to apply for free/reduced lunch may be found at ecsdnews.com/nutrition.
Students who qualify for free meals may never be denied a meal, even if they have accrued a negative balance prior to the processing and approval of the current year’s Free and Reduced Priced Meal Application. Students with a reduced plan will be able to charge the equivalent amount of two lunches and two breakfast meals according to their approved status. Once a student has reached that charge limit, he or she will be offered an alternate meal. The alternate meal consists of a cheese sandwich and milk. The student will continue to receive the alternate meal until adequate funds are received or up to three consecutive days, whichever comes first. Students whose accounts hold a negative balance are ineligible to purchase extra or a la carte items until the balance is paid in full. Students with negative balances or who lack sufficient funds to purchase a reimbursable meal may purchase a main entrée item only at the a la carte price as long as they have the funds to do so. No extra or a la carte items may be charged. All negative balances must be repaid prior to the end of the current school year. 
 
Students and guardians will be notified of low and negative balances through letters and emails sent home.
 
Checks will gladly be accepted as payment for the amount of a meal and for pre-payment, but parents are asked to send separate checks for each child. Two-party checks will not be accepted. All non-sufficient fund checks (NSF) are turned over to Envision Payments Solutions for recovery. Envision utilizes the federal and state laws allowing the electronic recovery of NSF checks. The cost of recovery becomes the responsibility of the one who writes the check. When a check is used as a payment, the check writer authorizes Envision either to use information from the check to make a one-time electronic fund transfer from the check writer’s account or to process the payment as a check transaction. The check writer also authorizes Envision to collect a fee through an electronic fund transfer from the check writer’s account if the payment is returned unpaid. This same procedure applies to any and all checks written to the school system. Questions regarding this procedure can be answered at 877.290.5460. All students are issued a personal ID number to access their meal accounts, and to maintain privacy, all students enter their number into a keypad at the register. Personal ID numbers remain with each student for the entire time they attend Effingham County Schools. Pre-K, kindergarten, and new students are issued a temporary card to use until they are able to memorize their number. Free and reduced price-meal applications are provided to each student’s parent. Only those parents wishing to apply should return the form. Parents will complete one form per family, listing all eligible children on the same form. The form should be completed and returned with the youngest child within five days of enrollment. Students must pay for lunch and breakfast until the form is returned and the student(s) is approved for the program.
 
In addition to the school meal, students may buy extra or a la carte items such as milk, juice, water, fruit, and vegetable servings. Additional entree items may only be purchased in addition to the school meal. Drinks brought with sack lunches must not be in glass bottles. Students are not to bring cans or bottles of soda in lunches. There are no heating facilities for a child’s sack lunch. When food substitutions are necessary due to a student’s medical condition, food service personnel will work with parents to make those changes, based on a written statement from a recognized medical authority, such as the child’s physician. Those statements must include information identifying the nature of the problem, and include a list of foods that should be omitted from the child’s diet along with appropriate substitutions.
 
Lunchroom Safety
Students caught throwing food and endangering the safety of others, and any other inappropriate behavior, will be subject to the consequences of their behavior.
Check out our website for daily menus! www.effinghamschools.com/menus.

Asbestos Management

The Effingham County School System maintains a complete, updated copy of the Asbestos Management Plan for its campuses. It is available for all workers before they begin work in any area of the buildings. This plan is available to the EPA, the state, parents, and other members of the public, teachers, and other employees for inspection within five working days after receiving a request for inspection.

School Insurance

Student insurance will be available to all students through our district website: www.effinghamschools.com/student-insurance
 
No information will be sent home with students. All transactions must be handled directly with the vendor.

Outstanding Debts

In the case of outstanding debts for lost books, photos, annuals, and lunches, schools may file the debt with the small claims court.