STS Parents Petition for Hybrid On-Campus Learning

To:STS Head of School and Leadership

From:STS Parents

Date:August 12, 2020

STS parents have joined this petition to support hybrid on-campus learning. STS parents are aligned with the school’s mission to protect and promote the health and well-being - physical, intellectual, social and emotional - of students, faculty, staff and families. We believe this is best achieved through socially distanced “pod” or “cohort” on-campus learning, commencing at the start of the school year. This would consist of small group sessions conducted in socially distanced areas with appropriate PPE and other health safety precautions. Because groups would be smaller, sessions would occur on fewer days or for shorter periods than regular classroom operations. The on-campus sessions would be supplemented with on-line and other remote learning tools. The use of on-campus vs remote methods would be tailored based on the age of the students and their corresponding capability to adapt to remote learning. For example, while 1-2 days of on-campus learning might work for older students, students in ELC might require more, or entirely, on-campus sessions depending on the age of the students. Those parents wishing to do so, could elect to have full-time remote learning for their children.

CDC guidelines and The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly favor opening schools for a variety of reasons focused on the health and well-being of children. Studies show that students, particularly younger students, need social interaction to aid in effective intellectual and social development. With the resources available to STS, we are confident the school can safely commence “pod” or “cohort” hybrid learning format at the start of the school year. Other private schools in the area are planning to do precisely this (see: https://www.tbcs.org/community/learning-together-fall-2020/post/~board/health-policies/post/curriculum-and-instruction; https://www.bellevuechristian.org/). We are committed to helping the school achieve this goal by preparing students, volunteering, signing appropriate waivers and releases and committing to reasonable quarantine practices.

We look forward to working together with STS leadership to implement a hybrid on-campus learning model at the start of the 2020 school year.