Dear Bancroft Community,
First, I want to thank you all for your thoughtful responses in our recent reopening survey. The results have been incredibly helpful in informing our planning and I am grateful for your candor and willingness to participate. Two points of emphasis that became clear are that:
- Creating a safe and healthy environment for our entire community is paramount.
- Our community is looking forward to the powerful and robust education, socialization, community, and developmental growth that the new school year will bring.
In addition to this important feedback, we have continued to stay updated on the latest developments and guidelines from state and local government, regional educational organizations, and public health advisories. Risk Reduction Strategies for Reopening Schools, a document recently created by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is guiding our plan for creating a safe and healthy environment.
Based on current research coupled with our health and safety protocols, we believe that we can responsibly reopen in-person learning on campus this fall. Other Bancroft-specific factors including our small population size, spacious campus layout, and abundant outdoor spaces provide us with confidence to be able to offer an in-person experience. However, with local health trends fluctuating in recent days, and increasing anxiety across the country about reopening schools, it is premature for us to make any final decisions at this time. Regardless of when we ultimately reopen campus, we plan to begin school activities on August 31.
For the next month, we will provide weekly updates about our reopening plans to help you stay connected and informed. Today's letter is designed to explain our health and safety measures related to our buildings, classrooms, and policies. More details about our school calendar and schedule, and school activities will be provided in our next update.
Fall 2020: Health & Safety Protocols for Healthy Buildings, Classrooms, and Policies
In order to lower the risk of viral transmission on campus whenever we return, we will implement a layered approach to our protocols, with each step reinforcing the others. A disciplined adherence to these expectations from everyone will help us once back on campus and allow us to be ready to quickly respond should changes and/or adjustment be necessary.
Limit Contact & Exposure: Each division will operate independently with its own teachers, spaces, and schedules to minimize contact between them. Students will be taught in small cohorts and will be limited in any exposure or close contact with other students or adults. This will be implemented slightly differently depending on division, and more specific information will be provided in the weeks ahead. In order to reinforce the bubble around all of us, we will not host any gatherings or events, or conduct field trips. Campus visitors, including parents, will be strictly limited.
Physical Distancing: 6 feet of distance between individuals will be the expected norm throughout campus. Our class sizes will be based on this standard in every building and we have arranged seating in classrooms to enforce this expectation. We have repurposed many large gathering locations into classrooms to accommodate the space needed to maintain this standard. The renovations of the Upper School building will provide larger classrooms to accommodate Upper School classes. We will also make use of our spacious campus, including our field house, which has been taken offline to the public. Outdoor space will also be utilized whenever we can. Lunch service will be adjusted, as our dining hall layout does not allow for appropriate physical distancing when the division eats together.
Masks: Students, faculty, and staff will be required to wear face masks when inside school buildings, including hallways and bathrooms. We will build in frequent times throughout the day where students and staff can go outside and remove their masks with physical distancing in place. Mask breaks and opportunities for movement will be important elements of our healthy environment for learning and social connection.
Clean/Optimal Campus: We understand the critical importance of maintaining clean facilities and are implementing the following measures:
- Classrooms and facilities cleaned and disinfected daily
- Bathrooms cleaned and disinfected multiple times each day
- New HVAC units for optimal ventilation in all renovated classrooms
- Upgrades to all HVAC units for optimal ventilation in all current classrooms (utilizing a higher percentage of fresh outside air and high grade MERV 13 filters)
- Hand sanitizing stations at all points of entry to campus
- Hand sanitizing and/or hand-washing in all classrooms with visible reminders for consistent use throughout campus
- Installation of 75 new hands-free faucets in classrooms and restrooms
- Removal of water bubblers and installation of hands free water bottle filling stations
COVID-19: Despite the measures we take, COVID-19 could find its way into the Bancroft community at some point. If any member of our community shows signs or symptoms while not on campus, we will require that they stay home. If anyone shows signs or symptoms that cause concern while on campus, they will be isolated until they can be safely taken home and to a doctor for followup. If a positive case is confirmed with anyone who has spent time on campus, it may be necessary to shift to remote learning in a given cohort or division. Our goal with our plan is to limit exposure so that in the event of a positive case, we won't necessarily need to move the entire school to remote learning.
Given the constantly changing nature of the pandemic, it is important that we allow ourselves the flexibility to adjust our plans accordingly. Your patience, cooperation, and understanding throughout this process has been critical. We must continue to rely on each other and our collective ability to handle the adversity and challenges that lie ahead. As we continue to adapt, evolve, and fine-tune our reopening plan, we will keep in close contact with you and provide more updated and specific information in our weekly updates.
Best,
Trey