Great question @Happytimes2001 — curious to know if any BS are not offering a virtual program to students. (I would think that would be necessary in order not to lose a chunk of kids?)
The other question that speaks to the petition issue is: are faculty given a fully virtual option? (The answer to the first question sheds light into the second question.)
I think that if this petition gains significant momentum, the response from most schools (assuming they have created a robust online program) wouldn’t be to close campus but rather move to the Exeter model of all classes virtual even with the kids on campus. The schools I’ve been reading about seem pretty prepared to go that direction if needed for any reason (including a larger critical mass of faculty resistance to in-person teaching.)
At Andover, all classes will include online participants and some classes will be only virtual, even for on-campus kids. My guess in that environment is that an all-virtual model would be a viable option to offer high-risk faculty or faculty who are uncomfortable with in person teaching. But obviously this isn’t an option everywhere or there wouldn’t be a petition. (And I’m not saying it’s an actual option at Andover. But it should be given the infrastructure in place to execute that.)
I realized I might not have been clear.
I’m saying that if the petition reveals that most faculty don’t want to teach in person then the scenario I see would be the all-virtual on campus model.
But a more moderate version of that would be faculty having the option to teach only virtually, which should be doable for schools with robust online programs in place.
MODERATOR’S NOTE: Google docs can’t be linked.
Lville has updated some of their FAQs, including this info for club sports:
Are students permitted to play club sports?
Off-campus permissions and activities will be subject to the same safety and distancing protocols as we adopt on campus. Permission will be granted by the Dean of Students Office after review in each circumstance.
Are students permitted to engage in off-campus activities?
Subject to permission from the Dean of Students Office, students will be permitted to attend practices and tournaments. Students will be expected to adhere to campus guidelines for safety. Students who choose to attend events that do not meet our community’s expectations for safety and social distancing will be required to quarantine at home before returning to school.
@Calliemomofgirls Seems the larger schools (both BS and colleges) are going the mainly virtual or all virtual model. The smaller BS seem able to accomodate kids on campus with an option for virtual learning (internatl and other). Size is a large factor. I’d assume any faculty member that has an issue will either teach online or be reassigned to another task without face to face contact?
Seems like each school is a bit different. Does anyone have a kid attending a small school that has decided on virtual classes only?
@Calliemomofgirls virtual classes do not solve the problem at all. Classes itself are just a small part of the issue, boarding school teachers also all have some version of dorm duty (even the ones who do not live in the dorms generally), and they have responsibility for after school activities be it sports, arts, robotics etc. They certainly can’t do all this virtually. And even if they did, the kids will need supervision, IMO much higher level than in the past as the rules are quite strict. Who will make sure you actually don’t have friends in your dorm room? Always wear mask and stay 6 feet from your friends who are not in your pod? Follow all the distancing rules in the dining hall, athletic center, student center? And what about weekends? There will have to be some sort of activities for the kids if they demand they all stay on campus (though some schools seem to start walking away from that). The big schools in particular have given kids a ton of freedom in the past which has led to enough bad judgement as it was, but now the stakes are a lot higher and so they really need to step up the oversight and guidance if they want to succeed. It is not realistic to expect kids who came seeking boarding school experience will happily sit in their dorm rooms living through their computer. They need to give them something to do and various ways to socialize that are not online.
And btw, my friend who is a teacher at one of the Boston area boarding school says that the percentage of teachers not wanting to be in person is well over 80%. Almost all the older teachers are afraid for their health, and the younger ones have small kids who will have some mesh of hybrid school if they are lucky and therefore massive logistical headaches with teaching in person. So much like with all other types of schools, it is a solid majority not a few teachers. Almost everyone who is not afraid they are going to lose their job if the school stays virtual.
You are definitely correct. There would need to be a minimum level of faculty and staff willing to be exposed to students in order for the virtual-but-on-campus model to work.
Even small schools who are offering virtual programs to their international or stay-at-home-for-other-reasons students I would think would be prepared to transition to all-virtual-from-home scenario, as it’s a real possibility for all of us. (sigh…).
Remember when we were all wondering if revisits were going to happen in March?! Oh the innocent days of February…
Maybe I only surround myself with positivity but of the numerous faculty members I have spoken with or are close to, both at BS AND here at local schools (both private and public), there are none that have stated they don’t want to go back. Sure - there are risks to going back to in person instruction. But with the right precautions in place, no more risk than going to the grocery store.
These schools (most of them) continued to function through both waves of Spanish flu, ours with no fatalities while at school. They are resourceful and careful.
I also think many people will withdraw if there is only virtual instruction. Without students, there are no jobs. The schools can’t afford to keep teachers on payroll without enough students. Nor can they afford to keep paying them until COVID19 is extinguished.
Our LDS is going back. They’ve heard from the families that this is a must. They told their faculty they can back out of their contracts if they aren’t comfortable. Not one teacher or staff member even considered it.
Why does February seem so long ago? Anyway I definitely agree that there is a real possibility we all end up with all-virtual-from home. It seems like everyone starts with plans to go back but as it gets closer reality hits. When are the first boarding schools scheduled to open? Is there any boarding school still scheduled to go back mid or late August or did all schools push it back into September?
@417WHB St. Paul’s sophomores (I don’t know about the other grades—we are friends with just a sophomore there) are returning a week earlier than previously (pre-COVID) scheduled.
@417WHB Blair freshman are due back Aug 25 however there is a meeting on Wednesday so we’ll see if there are any changes.
We are waiting to hear if/how the new school closing by the governor affects Cate. Cate hasn’t sent out a message yet. Looks like it applies to private schools k-12. Schools can open when their county is off the watch list 14 days. They also have to meet certain safety standards and protocol.
Santa Barbara is on the watch list, only because the number of new cases is too high. They are much higher in the Northern part of the county, not where Cate is, and Cate has all the recommended safety protocol in place and more. So assuming there isn’t some exception carved out for Cate, Santa Barbara has to get their numbers under 100 per 100k per day for 14 days before the first week of Sept. Masks up, people!
I don’t know if Thacher is in the same boat.
While I hate that school opening will possibly be delayed because of something happening miles away, I get it. I am glad at least there are objective standards to apply.
At both the college and high school level, there are faculty who are uncomfortable with the risk. Some institutions are allowing them to teach virtually. But I personally know 2 who decided to retire, (about 3 years early) because they couldn’t take on a commitment that would be so potentially dangerous to them and/or their families.
@CateCAParent We got a message from Stevenson on Friday that the governor’s order does apply for all schools public and private. It is in Monterey County, which is also on the monitoring list. Stevenson has been planning for an in-person return with a remote option for those unable or uncomfortable with being on campus. I was also really happy to see that they are supporting faculty who have a concern with in-person instruction and allowing them to teach remotely. The letter to the parents indicated they will try to ensure no student has too many classes taught by remote faculty. It must be a nightmare for the registrar, but certainly feels like the right thing to do. Stevenson pushed back the return date to after Labor Day, so there is still some hope that Monterey county could come off the monitoring list. However the numbers here in CA seem to be going in the wrong direction.
I have another child at Episcopal, and they are gearing up for an in-person return, also with a remote option for anyone unable or unwilling to return. They will be requiring testing before and upon arrival. As a 100% boarding school, they are able to have a bit more control over the campus environment.
@westcoastmom987 - I realized after I posted I should have mentioned Stevenson and Webb. So sorry for the oversight!
I am hoping the California numbers turn around, but it feels like trying to turn the Titanic.
Cate has this annoying habit of being methodically thoughtful (aka slow) at their messaging. I am guessing we aren’t going to hear anything until they can report the plan in response to the closing. They better get on it! Inquiring parents want to know! ?
We just got a message from Stevenson that they have decided to rule out the possibility of an in-person return to campus for the fall semester after consulting with the local health department on the likelihood of being removed from the monitoring list and meeting the state’s criteria for in-person return before Thanksgiving. So, at least one CA boarding school has made the call for 100% remote fall semester.
We are disappointed, but seems like a reasonable call under the circumstances.
We just had our meeting with HOS. I feel even more confident now about Forman’s return to school plan. Of course, there is a remote option. Sounds like they made a big investment in a system that facilitates having remote students be part of an on campus class.
@CateCAParent any updates from Cate?
@417WHB Is there any chance you are just talking to folks with similar views? We know a lot of educators ( professors mostly in MA), few aren’t planning to go back. They already have class assignments. Some admin friends ( two Deans) have been working on separate campuses all Summer. Also some BS are really quite “contained” while I could see some older staff being nervous, I think many understand virtual Education will not pay the bills. Kids won’t come back and 21-22 won’t have enough $$ withoyt the BS experience. Most BS families we know ( 6 close friends at separate schools) all have the date for their kids to return. And one even has a sports kid returning early. My nephew who is in college, is a football player ; he’s also leaving for practice in a week. I think it will ge a mix but most/many NE BS will return for September and go from there.
I think the schools most likely to be virtual in Sept. are large schools and maybe CA which is sadly having a big wave in some areas.
Nope.
I interpret that to mean they are scrambling to work with the county and state to get an exemption. They had gotten clearance to open before, so I am hoping they will again.
The only thing holding them back is the daily average of new cases for the county not being below 100 per 100k. And the hot spot is in the north county area. I can see those numbers dropping, but hard to know because it is taking 2 weeks to get test results back. Right now the results are from tests post-July 4 weekend. So frustrating.