Afterschool Programs Policies and Procedures

COVID: PTA Afterschool Activities will follow FCPS Guidance with respect to masking.

ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES

Responsibility to Attend
Remembering to attend the activity is the responsibility of the student. The PTA makes every effort to inform the schoolteachers and SACC of afterschool activities, however, they cannot be responsible for remembering each student's schedule. Please help your child by reminding them each day that they have an afterschool activity.

 At School but Missing After School Activity
If on a given day your child attends school but cannot attend her/his afterschool activity, please be sure to let the office know when you sign your child out or call the school office (703) 255-5600 to let them know. Informing the office is especially important on days your child leaves school at the final bell, i.e., is not signed out.

 Failure to Appear After School
If your child was at school but is not present at his/her afterschool activity the PTA may remove the child from the session. Removal from a session will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, will be done at the PTA’s discretion, and may result in a loss of tuition.

DISMISSAL PROCEDURES

Dismissal To an After School Activity

Please direct your child go to the CAFETERIA to sign in for his/her activity each week. If your child attends SACC, they may drop their backpack at SACC prior to reporting to the cafeteria. The activity instructor will pick-up students from the cafeteria and bring them to their activity location.

Pickups From an Afterschool Activity

Please note the times for each activity and know when to pick up your child. Late pickups cannot be accommodated, and children may be removed from an activity for repeated late pick-ups.

School teachers and staff are not responsible for PTA-sponsored afterschool activities, and most have left for the day by the time activities are dismissed. Therefore, there is no one in the school who can take responsibility for your child beyond the contracted activity time. Emergencies happen, so please, plan to have someone pick up your child on time if the need arises. Instructors will dismiss a child to an adult with whom the child goes willingly without proof of identification. All Kindergartners must be picked up by an authorized adult or if they are registered for SACC, they will return there.

 Permission to Walk/Bike Home
In alignment with FCPS policy on the matter (FCPS Policy P8610.8, section IV, paragraph C), parents may, at the time of afterschool activity registration, provide permission the PTA and the activity instructor(s) to allow their child to walk or bicycle home independently, without an adult, and after taking into consideration the following:

• There will be NO CROSSING GUARDS on duty at the time of dismissal from after school activities.
• The PTA and/or the activity instructor(s) will not be responsible for assessing, nor will they assess, a child's ability to reach home safely.
• Should inclement-weather, darkness, broken equipment or other unknown factors impact a child's ability to get home safely, it is the parent’s responsibility to make alternative arrangements for the child.
• The school will be locked at 4:30 PM, with no access to the office or phone. 
• For children enrolled in afternoon SACC, SACC rules apply. Permission given to the PTA does not extend to SACC; and
• The walk or bike home permission will be for the duration of the session and must be renewed for each afterschool activity session and may be revoked in writing by sending an email to afterschool@cpes-pta.org.

Permission to walk home may not be given to kindergarteners. Kindergarteners must be picked up by an adult.

Main Front Door #1 Location

All afterschool activities will dismiss from the Main Front Door #1. If you need to pick-up your child early, you will need to arrive before the school is locked at 4:30 and do so from the activity location; for SACC children, PLEASE be sure to sign your child out of SACC, prior to picking up your child from her/his activity. If your child is in SACC, your child will be brought to the SACC at the activity dismissal.

NO CLINIC ACCESS AFTER SCHOOL

PLEASE note that the school clinic is not open during afterschool activities. If there is any health issue/concern with your child, please notify your afterschool activity instructor. For example, Epinephrine is not available. If your child might suffer an anaphylactic allergic reaction and need epinephrine, please, make arrangements for a trained adult to attend the activity with your child's Epi-Pen at the ready. Your PTA wants to make sure your child is safe.

STUDENT BEHAVIOR POLICY

Students are expected to behave in a manner that respects the instructors and other students as well as school property. If the instructor identifies a problem in this area, the instructor will contact the parents and notify them of the problem. If the behavior is not corrected, the instructor will notify the parents and the student will not be allowed to continue to attend the activity. No refund will be given.

REGISTRATION

Registration for afterschool activities should be done online through the link providers whenever possible.

If the class requires a wavier be signed, you will be contacted; your registration is not complete without a signed waver, and your child will not be allowed to participate until the waiver is completed.
In the event of a late registration, instructor tuition will not be prorated for missed classes.

Waitlist and Inventory Adjustments

The PTA encourages the use the waitlist function even when the class says it is "Sold Out." Using the waitlist option is free of charge and does not constitute an obligation to pay for the activity should a position become available.

Waitlist Requests

Waitlist requests are handled on a best-effort basis and will vary with the instructor. If a position in the activity becomes available, you will be notified and will be expected to respond within 24 hours. In some cases, positions will become available after the session has started. Some instructors prorate the activity cost, however, most do not. When you are notified, you should be provided the class cost, at which time you may decide to decline or accept. Prompt responses are appreciated as there may be others also waitlisted.

Inventory Adjustments for Sold-out Classes

The number of available positions in each activity will vary during the registration period. Positions may be reserved at the discretion of the PTA. When possible, unused reserved positions will be returned to the inventory approximately 8 days before the first class of a given activity. Prior to releasing reserved positions to all, those on the waitlist will be offered the newly released positions in the order in which their requests were received.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Financial assistance may be provided in form of full or partial scholarships to an activity based on availability. Scholarships may be provided by the instructor, the PTA, or both, and will be facilitated by the PTA Afterschool Coordinator. Scholarships may be limited to one activity, per student, per session. However, to the extent available instructor scholarships go unclaimed, a student may benefit from additional assistance. Requests for financial assistance should be made during the registration period and may be directed to any of the following:
Ms. Lujan - lklujan@fcps.edu or,
Señora Cortez - HKCortez@fcps.edu or,
Grecia Lapizco Encinas - afterschool@cpes-pta.org

INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY

In the case of inclement weather, the following policy applies:

• FCPS Early Dismissal -- All afternoon activities are cancelled.
• FCPS Afternoon/Evening Events Cancellation -- All afternoon activities are cancelled.
• FCPS School Cancellation -- All afterschool activities are cancelled.

Cancelled Activity and Makeups
If an activity is canceled for a given day due to a school closing, weather emergency, absent instructor, etc., the class will be made up, if possible. Makeups may be in the form of dismissal time adjustments or in the form of additional activity day(s). If cancellations are due to FCPS (see INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY) the PTA will rely on FCPS notifications. If cancellations are initiated due to other reasons, the provider will make every effort to email impacted families by 1:00 PM on the activity day.

REFUND REQUEST PROCEDURE AND POLICY

Refund Requests
Refund requests must be submitted in writing (email) to the afterschool program coordinator before the first meeting of the class. After the first day of class, no refunds will be considered except in extreme or extenuating circumstances and at the discretion and approval of the PTA. If a refund is approved, the PTA will issue a refund to the parent account holder on file for the class tuition.

Refunds for Cancelled Activities 
If an activity is cancelled for the session, the full cost will be refunded. If an activity is canceled for a given day due to a school closing, weather emergency, absent instructor, etc., the class will be made up, if possible.