Dear Parents and Guardians,
I recognize that last week's message about the need to shift our reopening plan was surprising and disappointing. There were also a few unanswered questions about what drove the change that I would like to address.
While we have been hiring all summer, we still have some core positions in all divisions to fill. Additionally, there is a growing need to have more assistant teachers available to cover our classrooms in the event that a teacher needs accommodations to teach remotely, is out ill, or must isolate due to possible coronavirus exposure. Given our recent announcement about a confirmed case in our community, we know that this will likely happen many times over the course of the year.
I understand the concern that by not starting with in-person instruction we may never get to implement our hybrid model as we have planned. We remain committed to having our students physically back on campus and will move in that direction just as quickly and safely as we can. We will release information next week to give you more details about our phased grade-level plan for reentry.
I received a great deal of feedback about losing one week of Spring Break. With all of us hoping that the worst of the pandemic will be behind us by March, many may be eager to travel. Of course, we have no way of knowing what the pandemic will look like by then, but this decision will be revisited in September and we will seek your input on several options to replace the days lost to the delayed start to the school year.
We understand that being in virtual mode for any part of the year does not replicate the full in-person experience. The Board's Finance Committee met earlier this week to discuss adjustments to tuition when WT is in a completely virtual mode. There are several models under consideration, and we will share any decision in September.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet with a large number of families of student-athletes. This, too, has been an area that continues to change rapidly. As you know, the Governor made the recommendation to postpone interscholastic sports until January 2021. In addition, college sports' seasons have been postponed in at least two major conferences as of this writing. We are expecting a decision from PIAA later this week and from WPIAL next week. Once those are announced, I will host a meeting with our families again to seek input in the decision-making process.
Be well, Scott Scott D. Fech, Ph.D. Head of School
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