We the undersigned parents in the SSTX High School and in particular the Senior Class ‘21 hereby request that St. Stephens reopen the Upper School concurrently with the opening of the 6th grade on September 14, 2020 based upon the following:

1. The Upper School is separated from the lower school and students so as to not impact the re-opening of the lower school.
2. Senior Year, especially the first trimester is critical in the college application process for both college counseling activities and grading. The opening of the Upper School on October 13, will only effectively give the Seniors approximately 15 days on campus. (Approximately 29 days from 10/13 to the Thanksgiving break, 11/20, and of that only 2-3 actual days per week for on campus sessions given the proposed hybrid model).
3. That the Upper School, has sufficient classrooms and open space to effectuate a social distanced in person environment.
4. The opening of the Upper School shall be by class, seniors first, followed by the, 11th grade, 10th and then 9th.
5. Have All Students, especially the seniors, be active participants in opening and keeping SSTX open. Do this by creating a Covid-19 Social Contract (see below) and require that All Students that want to partipirate in in-person classes, as well as their parents, sign it.

Covid-19 Social Contract:

1. All Students will wear face masks on campus, with the exception of while eating meals.
2. All Students will social distance in accordance with the classroom and dining rules.
3. Students will not congregate in groups larger than 10 on campus, within the social distancing guidelines.
4. Students will adhere to the guidelines set by the Federal, State and Local jurisdictions with regard to any extracurricular activities to avoid becoming infected or becoming an asymptomatic carrier and thereby risk infecting fellow students, faculty or extended families.
5. If a Student is ill, they must quarantine and be tested (negative result), prior to returning to campus. They must also share information about their conditions with the appropriate Contact Tracing representative at St. Stephen’s.
6. Students will agree to any proactive measures taken by the School, to include, but not limited to temperature checks, testing, questionnaires or any other method approved by the school.
7. Students and Parents agree that any breach of the rules as outlined above will result in the Student losing their on campus participation and therefore must continue school remotely.

* There are no Donations asked or required for this petition