Dear Calhoun families,
I hope this note finds you well, after a momentous week. Despite fears of unrest and in the face of unprecedented challenges, the nation voted peacefully and in record numbers. Kamala Harris, a Black and South-Asian woman, became the Vice-President-elect, part of a wave of remarkably diverse candidates elected to office at all levels across the country. In all our divisions, students engaged in and learned from this great democratic spectacle.
On a more sobering note, this last week also saw a dramatic rise in coronavirus cases across the nation, including in parts of New York. With that in mind, I have an update about our plans for the coming months.
Important Announcement: Winter Break and January As you know, New York State now requires travelers from states not bordering NY to quarantine for three days and then take a COVID-19 test on the fourth day. They can exit quarantine upon receipt of a negative test result. (Travelers out of the area for 24 hours or less do not need to quarantine but are still required to test on the fourth day after return.)
I know that many of you have questions about the new travel guidelines, so we have put together an FAQ page here. We are asking all employees and students to follow these guidelines. As was the case previously, they apply only to travelers, not everyone in the household where only one person travelled.
Many of you also have questions about whether we are making any changes to our calendar following Thanksgiving or Winter Break — traditionally heavy travel periods. We are not planning any changes following Thanksgiving break; we will be open for in-person learning on Monday, November 30 for students who are not required to quarantine.
Winter Break poses a significant challenge however. Based on our earlier community surveys, we anticipate that approximately 50% of teachers and students may be planning to travel in this period. The guidelines in place for quarantine and testing mean that were we to be open for in-person learning from January 4, we would have a shifting lineup of teachers and students every day that week as quarantine deadlines were met and tests were taken. The resulting student experience would prove chaotic and difficult to plan for, with adverse consequences for student support.
Furthermore, some families with a broader range of healthcare options would be able to access rapid-turnaround tests and have students back to school quickly; other families would need to wait longer for test results to be returned. The equity implications of this scenario are concerning.
Consequently, with the approval of the Executive Committee of the Board, we will shift our calendar to make January 4-8 fully remote for LS-E, MS and US classes. In LS-EC, at 74th St., our homeroom-based structure makes it far simpler to scale down to accommodate smaller class sizes and fewer in-person teachers, and therefore we are planning for LS-EC to be open that week for in-person learners who are not required to quarantine.
This shift should make it possible for all students and teachers who may have travelled during the Winter Break to obtain required test results and be prepared for in-person reopening on January 11. I know this change will upset some families for whom Calhoun has offered a haven of calm and joy for students in dark times. We feel strongly that this approach will allow us to offer more continuity and support for students while still ensuring that our community remains safe.
Potential Closures
As many of you are no doubt aware, New York City is approaching the threshold for test positivity that the Mayor has said would trigger a closure of public schools. As far as we are aware, the Mayor's authority does not extend to closure of non-public schools as well. That power rests with Governor Cuomo. According to our reopening plan as filed with the state, any sharp rise in virus prevalence in New York would trigger a convening of a special committee of administrators and Trustees to evaluate the situation. There is no trigger tied to external metrics that would automatically close the school.
That said, let me risk stating the obvious. Infection rates are climbing everywhere, as are hospitalization levels. New York City remains comparatively well positioned, but the virus does not respect city and state boundaries. If you can avoid traveling or attending large gatherings in the coming weeks, please do. Please get a flu shot. Please remind your children of the importance of wearing a mask, not just in school but at all times outside the house.
And while we shall make every effort to maximize in-person learning opportunities, we also recognize that the Governor may at some point take that decision out of our hands. I will do my best to ensure that you know what I know as we manage the uncertainty of the coming months.
Testing, Testing
Let me again thank you all for your cooperation with our testing program, in partnership with Mirimus Labs. I have one clarification and one request.
The clarification: Unfortunately, we cannot provide spare testing kits or allow students who may have forgotten theirs to provide samples at school. If a student forgets their test, please contact Nicole Nelson about either bringing it to school or providing a sample at the next available lab collection.
The request: I appreciate that you may want to give your children a sense of agency or empowerment by allowing them to write their own names and birthdates. While I would normally applaud this, for now, I'm going to ask you to prioritize legibility over participation. We employ a small team of young people to scan the sample barcodes and match them against our database of names, and it can be difficult for them to finish their task if the labels are difficult to decipher.
As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please let me know.
In partnership,
The Calhoun School: www.calhoun.org
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