September 29, 2020
Dear Frederick Gunn School Community,
In our August communications, we committed to updating our community regarding several of the school’s COVID protocols at the end of September. We are so glad to be in our fourth week of having students on campus and online. We attribute the fact that we have kept COVID-19 off campus to our planning and to the diligence of our students, families, and employees. We know the changes that students, families and faculty have had to make have been significant, and we thank you for those sacrifices for the greater good. While we are encouraged by our progress – most recently the negative test results of our on-campus students and employees – we have also been cautioned by our Medical Team about the continued dangers the virus presents to residential communities and the likelihood that cases will rise in our region in the coming weeks and months. As we evaluated our protocols, we followed the guidance of our Medical Team, notably our Medical Director, Kristy Beck, M.D., and our consultant, Helen Boucher, MD, FACP, FIDSA, Chief of Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Tufts Medical Center. The changes noted herein are based upon their feedback and recommendations.
We know that some of our students, families, and employees may wish that our protocols changed more or less than they have, and that some may take exception to the logic or thinking behind them. We have worked to ensure that we are following the guidelines of our Medical Team and that we are not out of step with our peer schools. We do all of this with the hope that we can remain healthy and well for the entirety of the fall term. It is a big ask of our community – to continue to operate in a new reality rather than revert to a daily existence that more closely mirrors life pre-COVID – but we do so in the interest of our collective health and with the knowledge that life is, in fact, inherently different than it was a year ago. We hope that some of the changes are welcomed by our students and that those that have not gone as far as some hoped are at least understood.
Residential Life
At this time, in consultation with our Medical Team, we are allowing students to enter other students’ rooms, so long as they remain in their own cohort. Masks are still required for all occupants when a room is occupied by someone other than a roommate. Visits will be limited to one additional student in a single room, two additional students in a double room or larger. Students may also order food to be delivered to campus from a limited list of restaurants and under conditions established by the Dean of Students Office.
Also, students may now leave campus to walk to Steep Rock or Washington Depot if they are traveling in groups between two and five and wear masks. Our Student Activities Coordinator is in the process of initiating planning for limited trips to area fast food restaurants, Walmart and nearby locations for outdoor adventures. We are working with a local chef and anticipate the PO, a cafe which is owned by the school and located within walking distance of campus across from the Washington Green, will reopen to students by mid-October.
Boarding Student Travel
After assessing the progression of the virus nationally and regionally, our Medical Team has determined that boarding students need to continue to stay on campus on the weekends. We owe our successful start to the year in part to limiting our travel in September. Please communicate with the Dean of Students Office if circumstances arise that may merit an exception, such as the need to attend a religious service or funeral. We know you are eager to see your students and have them return home. This is hard and we thank you for your understanding. Our ultimate goal is to get through the entirety of the fall term without a positive case, and we have been advised by our medical experts that a broader loosening of travel restrictions is not advisable at this time.
If weekend travel is unavoidable, students will need to complete testing in order to return to the community. If travel is to a state on the State of Connecticut Travel Advisory list, students will need to follow the state guidelines that currently include self-quarantining for 14 days after arriving in Connecticut, or as an alternative, procuring a COVID-19 PCR test 72 hours prior to traveling back to Connecticut. If students are traveling to a state not on the advisory list, they will be required to complete a COVID PCR test upon their return to campus, the cost of which will be billed home. They will be required to quarantine in Emerson Dorm until the result of the PCR test is returned. The turnaround time for this testing may be up to 72 hours. As an alternative, students have the option of getting a rapid PCR test, which is available in some locations, including the American Family Care Urgent Care Center located at 1171 East Main Street in Torrington. (Families are advised to call AFC at 860-866-4321 in advance to schedule an appointment.) Note that if a student engages in a high-risk activity during their time away, it may be determined that they need to complete a 14-day quarantine regardless of test results. An example of a high-risk behavior would be attending a large gathering in an area where there are high rates of transmission or where there was a known COVID case.
Day Student Travel
Day student families are asked to continue to lead quiet lives and limit travel during this time, as was outlined during our Town Hall meeting on August 12. If day students travel to a state on the State of Connecticut Travel Advisory list, for example for a college visit, they will need to follow the state guidelines, including self-quarantining for 14 days after returning to Connecticut or, as an alternative, procuring a COVID-19 PCR test 72 hours prior to traveling back to Connecticut.
Athletics
With respect to fall sports, we remain in contact with our peer schools in an effort to determine whether interscholastic play may be feasible in October and November. Our 3-2-1 Co-Curricular Plan is well designed and will facilitate the scheduling of varsity games. This, of course, hinges on the health conditions at the schools and in the local area, the nature of the specific sport, and the relative compatibility of the testing protocols at the schools involved.
In the interim, we are happy to report that the new Emerson Fitness Center and the Upper Gym in Memorial are now open to students in the morning and during the academic day. This is something many of our students have been looking forward to and we have put rules in place to keep the community safe and allow these indoor spaces to remain open. Capacity is limited to eight students at a time in Emerson and 10 students in the gym and students are required to wear masks. Workouts are also limited to 30 minutes. Certain mornings have been designated for cardio and weightlifting workouts to allow more students who are interested in those types of workouts better access. Students have also been encouraged to continue using our outdoor spaces, especially for cardio workouts and to shoot baskets while the weather permits.
Regarding club sports, our Medical Team has determined that we need to extend our policy limiting students’ participation in club sports and activities outside of The Frederick Gunn School for the foreseeable future. Our ability to play games against other schools is dependent upon a shared understanding of the testing protocols of each school, and that is something we cannot verify for club programs. We are progressing in our own operations to allow for more and more training on campus. Individual coaches will be in touch about the measures they are taking to support our athletes in training, filming, and maintaining connections with colleges.
Looking Ahead
We are pleased to share that we continue to expect that varsity athletes who are participating in our winter athletics programs will be welcome to stay on campus during winterim, from December 1‒18. While we are actively in communication with our peer schools, it is too early to know if we will be able to schedule varsity games or if students will be engaged in training during that time. Similar to our protocols prior to the reopening of campus this fall, students who plan to return in December will be expected to observe a quiet period during Thanksgiving break. Students are welcome to attend family gatherings but should not attend parties or other large public events. Students will be required to complete a COVID PCR test after Thanksgiving and prior to returning to campus. The Health Center, with the assistance of Hartford HealthCare, will administer a second COVID PCR test within the first week of returning from break.
If your student wishes to maintain a commitment outside of our school or cannot meet our travel requirements, you do have the option of choosing to have your child do so while taking classes remotely. However, we encourage all of our students who can be on campus to remain here through the end of the fall term on November 20, to take advantage of everything we have to offer as a school. Each and every student contributes to the life of the school, and we know that teenagers are social beings who benefit greatly from having the ability to connect with each other as well as with their teachers, coaches, dorm parents and advisors, even if we are all wearing masks. Specific to our athletes, we continue to believe that our coaches and facilities allow us to provide high-level training and guidance. If you would like to know more on this front, please be in touch with the head coach of the sport your child is pursuing. If you do need to have your student take classes remotely for any reason, please contact the Dean of Students Office at dos@frederickgunn.org so they can coordinate any changes. If your student is off campus, he or she will need to complete our return-to-campus protocols before returning.
Thank you, again, for your understanding. The phrase “unprecedented” is overused these days, but we are constantly reminded that there is not a script for what schools are doing this year. Here at The Frederick Gunn School, we are taking cues from what is going on in higher education and heeding the guidance of our Medical Team. We are in touch with peer schools to keep abreast of their planning. All of this leaves us feeling confident in our protocols and policies, despite the challenges they pose for all of us. We believe deeply in our mission as a school, including Mr. Gunn’s belief that fun and sport are essential components of every child’s education. We are eager to support you and your child as they grow as learners and people, whatever path that might take.
Sincerely,
Peter Becker
Head of School
