Dear Key families,
I am writing to share that we plan to offer on-campus instruction during the weeks of December 7 and 14 for those who have received a negative PCR test. (See "Creating Key School Bubble with PCR Testing & Responsible Behavior" section below.)
School Operations Leading Up To Winter Holiday Break
First School
Lower School
Middle School
Upper School
While a deep cleanse of all classrooms was completed over the Thanksgiving holiday, campus will be closed on Friday, December 11 for another deep cleaning, with all students participating in distance learning on that day.
Arrival and dismissal procedures will remain the same.
Wellness Assessments: The daily School Pass wellness assessment is still required and temperatures will be taken when students arrive at school, as they have been throughout the fall.
Creating Key School Bubble with PCR Testing and Responsible Behavior
Our goal is to create as virus-free an environment as possible in the weeks leading up to Winter Holiday Break. To accomplish this, we are requiring all students and the faculty and staff who interact with them to have a negative PCR test before returning to campus. Potential testing sites are listed on Key's Fall 2020 webpage. Families must submit results to Nurse Katie Anderson at kanderson@keyschool.org.
In addition, we are asking everyone to take extreme precaution in limiting their exposure to others over the course of the next several weeks. With numbers likely to be on the rise post-Thanksgiving, it is imperative that each of us take responsibility for minimizing activity that could bring COVID-19 to campus. Please consider setting self-imposed restrictions on interactions that you and your family have with individuals beyond your household. Social gatherings still appear to be major spread events. Prior to Thanksgiving Break Key's on-campus positivity rate was 1.76% by our records, totaling 2 cases. The Maryland State Department of Health counts only one confirmed case here at Key for a 0.88% positivity rate. Thank you for all your efforts to keep Key School safe, please continue to be vigilant, and keep your children home with any COVID-19 symptom.
Additional On-Campus Health and Safety Measures
While this is our plan, families must prepare for the possibility that we may need to make last minute adjustments. Results from the faculty/staff PCR tests should be received Friday or Saturday; a high positivity rate would impact our ability to offer on-campus instruction. Similarly, if a high percentage of students have positive tests, the viability of some in-person classes could be compromised. Please note that yet to be announced State or County mandates or restrictions could also impede our ability to be on-campus.
Stay safe.
Matthew
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