Our school mentioned that they are buying their won testing machine so they will not have to wait for results when they test kids on campus.
Our school will also have their own testing machine, and kids will need a negative test upon arrival, but I’m not sure if the school will administer that or if we have to do it on our own. I had previously been very happy with the school’s communication, but it’s been radio silence since tuition was due. We were supposed to get our move in date last week, but now (according to the FAQ page) they’ve pushed that off until “early August”. It’s incredibly frustrating trying to plan around an unknown move in date, especially since we will have to quarantine. I know so much of this it out of the school’s hands, but communication goes a long way in my book…and right now, they’re not doing a great job at that.
@cityran I would try really hard to be patient. I know it is hard especially being a new family and traveling from far away, but the school does not want to announce plans just to have to change them. Murphy (NJ governor) has not announced the school rules yet and that likely has to be done before their re-opening plan has a chance of being approved. Possibly this is being coordinated with NY and CT like other things which would cause more delays. NY is not scheduled to get the rules till sometimes first week in August. Lots of politics around re-opening right now, including calls for delay altogether as nobody seems to be ready. But how can you be ready when you don’t have the rules to comply with, so it is a catch-22. And a lot of it is out of school’s hands. My oldest is in college and so I follow that world closely too and schools that originally planned to re-open are starting to switch to remote fall. I am sure none of the BS want to be in that situation. Ours has tentative schedule but no move in date yet either, and it has in bold letters on the website to please NOT make any travel plans that can’t be canceled without penalty. There is just a great deal of uncertainty still. We all have to roll with it and hope for the best, while having a backup plan in our pockets.
@417WHB Thank you! Im feeling a bit less anxious having now received an email from the school (having nothing to do with re-opening, but a sign that they’re not completely changing plans). After listening to a 5 hour school board meeting for our local public school district yesterday (in which they went from delaying the school start, to having a fully remote fall term, and then voting to start in person on the original due date), I have an incredible amount of empathy for all school administrators. You are right, there is so much going on behind the scenes and I know all these schools are doing the best they can. I just wish they’d send a quick little email saying “I know you all are anxious, but we’re doing everything we can and we promise you’ll have news soon.” 
And it doesn’t help that we’re still in a holding pattern for my son’s (new) school as well. I cannot wait to be on the other side of all of this!
Has anyone received update info @ MA guidelines? I apologize in advance for asking this but I am still in search of answers. I went on the Dept of Ed website and I couldn’t find the information that was new. Do you know if all boarding schools in MA are having students quarantine before arriving on campus or is that after they arrive on campus with being tested?
Here is the link for the order that goes into place on Aug 1st. We are not anticipating having to quarantine upon arrival and hoping the test results will be sufficient upon arrival. When flying into MA, we are anticipating having to complete a form (like they are doing in NY).
Hi all - Longtime lurker, infrequent poster here…
Westover sent an email last night saying that they will open as a day school only in the fall. No borders until, maybe, January. Apparently the Federal Government has commandeered the testing equipment they purchased and they have no idea when it will arrive. They do not feel they can have a safe campus for boarders if they are unable to efficiently test and quarantine kids. That, coupled with the fact that there will be an increase in cases at some point this fall, they decided they will go fully remote for those who cannot drive to campus every day. They have invested in some amazing technology this summer so they will be fully ready for the start of school.
While there will still be a sports requirement, the season has basically been canceled. For day students, there will be outdoor practices (and if no masks, kids will be 12’ apart from each other), but no meets. Virtual students will have things available to them to satisfy the requirement, too.
On a personal note, I have to say that this is one of the best plans I’ve read so far from boarding schools, local days schools, and our local public school. While it will stink for the boarders to not be able to come to campus, they have done an amazing job of looking at the full picture and planned accordingly.
@Golfgr8 – Thanks for posting the link here. It was posted on another thread (apparently, because I can’t find it here), and I went through and read it all with a fine-toothed comb the other day. And yes, they have a travel form to fill out upon arrival in MA. And if you have a negative test then no quarantine requirement. (note: test must be within 72 hours of flight, so just a logistical thing to manage). In any case, DD will be doing the 2 week quarantine on campus (Andover), but for us (parents), the negative result would make the drop off easier without needing to hole up in the hotel room and just get food delivery, etc… (Ideally, we would like to be able to do a Target run for supplies since we are traveling across country.).
I was puzzled when I read Westover’s plan yesterday… I think a lot of their plan is very well thought out and they have covered lots of bases. I guess I don’t see how having just the day students there will help make things safe. That’s a lot of kids coming and going every day, with perhaps siblings attending other day schools and parents going back to work and… well, just a whole lot of potential risk of exposure. Honestly, it seems like just having the boarders there would be safer! But, I get it, there’s plenty of potential liability if a kid from away gets sick and they can’t just be sent home. And there’s definitely not enough dorm space to put everyone in a single room. Can’t imagine the headaches this is causing every HOS.
Our local public schools have committed to hybrid learning plans, 2 days on campus 3 days online, with 100% virtual options for those who choose it. Several local colleges have also reversed their previously announced plans to fully reopen to on campus learning for fall. Some are keeping all kids at home and cutting tuition. Others will only allow first year students on campus, but almost all classes will online. The smaller, liberal arts schools and the regional public universities are still holding out and saying they are bringing kids back to campus for fall. Our immediate area has low rates of infection, and we never saw a significant surge. But the colleges all cite concerns over bringing kids in from all over the country and world, and how they will keep them safe.
It will be interesting to see how all this unfolds for boarding schools and colleges alike over the next few weeks. Who would have ever imagined that this is where we would be on the eve of August 1?
@cameo43 - As I read it, they were concerned based upon what happened at overnight camps all over the country this summer. So many of them had to close down quickly because kids were testing positive. I think their assumption is that this could easily happen there, too. Given the fact that the dorms are so close to everything, I think they see the potential spread being quick. It also saves them the headache of trying to figure out how to get all the kids home should they have to close the school down at some point. Then, I think the icing on the cake was the fact that they are not going to get their testing machines. I suspect that is ultimately what made the decision for them.
The number of day students (and the number of girls who board, but could easily be day students) is low enough that they will be able to socially distance. If a max of 50% of the school shows up for day student classes, there will be plenty of room for them to nagivate safely. The schedule allows the day students to not have to be there 5x a week (and it will be 4x max).
Sadly, I don’t think there is a perfect plan. As you said, I can’t imagine the stress any HOS has at the moment. No matter what they do, someone will be upset. Personally, I think they are really trying to ensure the health and safety of the kids and this was the best way forward given the size of the school and the resources they have should a kid get sick. I wonder if any other schools are going to follow. I’m still waiting for my son’s school to annouce their final plan.
Hi ， long time lurker too.
Kent announce that all day students has to opt for boarding (with no additional cost) or remote learning for fall term.
Lville sent out an updated re-entry plan yesterday. All students who fly to school (or come from a state on the covid hotspot list) will quarantine for 14 days ON campus. All students will take remote classes for the first two weeks. Boarders who live within driving distance and in a state with low covid rates, will take remote classes from home and then move into their dorms toward the end of September.
It’s a big change from the original plan, but I understand the need to do the quarantine time at school rather than ask parents to spend 14 days with their kids in NJ before move in day. It’s not ideal, but I think I’ve given up on any and all expectations!!! I did speak with the dean of students who assured me students won’t be isolated in their rooms for quarantine. They’ll have plenty of time to be outside and socialize (at a safe distance) and the school will keep them busy. And senior year, hopefully all these kids will say “Remember when we quarantined freshman year?? That was so fun!!”
I forgot to add: no fall sports for Lville (skills practices instead), and no student may participate in any private or group lessons/practices/teams/etc outside of school.
Thanks @Cityran. I am very concerned about outside sports that our day students and fac-students are participating in…many of the hockey players we know have games/tournaments that they are planning to participate in just before school begins, as well as in the fall. This seems unfair and unsafe to allow day students to participate in club/travel practices. I wish our school took this step like L’Ville.
I wonder if Deerfield will change the rules too?? Lville was going to allow it , but changed their minds in this most recent update. Meanwhile, I cannot imagine how difficult this must be for Fall athletes who plan to play in college. My husband and I were just trying to figure out how many kids are actually going to show up to school on move in day. I’m assuming many international students will be doing remote learning (19% for lville), and now I suspect serious athletes will choose remote learning so they can participate in local club teams.
I wonder how many tournaments will really happen if states will make make teams quarantine apon arrival and re-entry.
Here is an article from the Wall Street Journal @ students being reunited with their “stuff” after campus reopen.
Is anyone else having issues trying to get COVID testing done in a timely manner before moving onto campus? Most schools will need a COVID test result before moving into the dorms. The schools would like the kids to be tested and have results within 72 hr - 7 days upon arrival. The problem is getting a test and have the results in that time frame. Right now it is taking 7 -10 days to get the results if not longer. How and where are you planning to get the testing done and how long is taking to get results? Testing where I live is backlogged and results are coming in around 10 days out. It is just a mess.
For this exact reason, I am trying to keep our packing list simple, and yet there still seems to be so much stuff she “needs”!!!