Our Most Frequently Asked Questions – With Answers

Purpose Built Schools, in partnership with Atlanta Public Schools (APS), provides management services for underperforming schools. Purpose Built Schools works to deliver outstanding results for students and the surrounding communities through high-quality instruction, intentional enrichment opportunities, and a strategic approach to serving families’ needs beyond the school walls.

Purpose Built Schools has all the authority, independence, and flexibility of a charter school, but each school remains a traditional neighborhood school with a defined attendance zone like every other APS school. By combining the best of traditional public schools with the best of charter schools, Purpose Built Schools offers a proven program designed to put all students on a trajectory for success through college and in their careers.

Learn more about our approach.

Purpose Built Schools has all the authority, independence, and flexibility of a charter school, but each school remains a traditional neighborhood school with a defined attendance zone like every other APS school. By combining the best of traditional public schools with the best of charter schools, Purpose Built Schools offers a proven program designed to put all students on a trajectory for success through college and in their careers.

Learn more about our approach.

Yes! Both Purpose Built Communities and Purpose Built Schools were inspired by the successful revitalization of the East Lake Community and Drew Charter School instructional model. While Purpose Built Communities aims to transform and bring meaningful change to communities throughout the country, Purpose Built Schools seeks to bring about school and community transformation right here in our neighborhoods of south Atlanta.

Learn more about Purpose Built Communities.

You can enroll your child at any Purpose Built school at any time! Our schools are part of the Carver Cluster, which offers a Pre-K to 12th grade feeder pattern for more than 2,000 students. Our four schools are:

• Slater Elementary
• Thomasville Heights Elementary
• Price Middle
• Carver STEAM Academy

Purpose Built Schools is always seeking highly-driven educators with a passion for helping students, schools and neighborhoods realize their full potential.

The key to our success is innovative, caring educators who come to school every day excited to put students – and their families and communities – on a new trajectory.

Join our team.

Siblings of close contacts may still return to school while their sibling is quarantining. If the close contact ultimately tests positive for COVID-19, the siblings would then be considered close contacts and required to quarantine.

Let your teacher and school administrator know. We will help you determine if it is considered a close contact by CDC guidelines. We will handle each incident on a case-by-case basis.

If your child is sick, please keep them home. It can be difficult to differentiate between symptoms of COVID-19 and the common cold. Call your child’s doctor if you need help determining if your student is at risk of COVID-19. If you are very concerned, consider a COVID-19 test to be sure.

Let your teacher and school administrator know. If we strongly suspect a student has COVID-19 (based on symptoms and the possibility of exposure), we may decide to go ahead and quarantine close contacts. We will handle each incident on a case-by-case basis.

Surfaces are not considered a significant source of spread of COVID-19. While strong cleaning practices are still important, we are not closing schools mid-week for a deep clean. Classes will take place Monday through Friday.

While some classes and offices may still choose to use them this school year, we discontinued their use in every classroom. Research has not shown partitions to have a significant preventative effect, and at best, they are most helpful in high-traffic areas like the main office. Teachers have the choice whether to use desk shields if they prefer.

Staff and students should stay home if they suspect they may be getting sick. We have discontinued the use of daily temperature checks at the door because they were not meaningful in identifying early illness. We will continue to screen visitors, and we encourage at-home temperature screening by caregivers, if desired.

Please see our COVID-19 Safety and Prevention Plan for specific details on when students and staff can return to school. In all cases, please communicate directly with your school administrators and teachers to determine when it is safe to return to school.

At this time, each school has a plan to support students academically while they are at home quarantining. Follow up with your school if you have questions and we will keep families posted on any changes or shifts to virtual learning.

Not at this time. We have confidence in our protocols and believe we can safely teach students in school. If you are interested in enrolling in 100 percent virtual classes, please contact your school administrator to learn more about Atlanta Public Schools’ virtual school option.

Contact your school administrator if you have concerns or see anyone not wearing masks. All students and staff are required to wear masks on campus, but can remove masks outside.

Please see our COVID-19 Safety and Prevention Plan for specific details on how we’re keeping our students and staff safe.

We are exploring a variety of ideas to incentivize our staff to get vaccinated.

While not mandatory, we strongly encourage vaccination among staff, eligible students and families. The vaccine is our best line of defense. The research on its effectiveness and safety continues to be strong.

Staff are required to participate in weekly COVID-19 testing, unless they have voluntarily submitted proof of vaccination. Although we highly encourage it, students are NOT required to participate in regular COVID-19 testing. Our schools strongly encourage all students to be tested weekly for COVID-19 at school every Friday.

The 2022-2023 school calendar has been scheduled. Depending on the number of instructional days lost to inclement weather, instructional time may be made up by a combination of make-up days, virtual learning days or extension of the school day.

Download PBSA Calendar