Dear Prep Students and Parents:
At this time last week, Prep's average case count was one per week and the DCHD risk assessment dial remained at 3.5. Shortly thereafter, we had four students and three faculty test positive and were forced to transition to Level 2 - Hybrid. Today, I write with the unwelcome news that our case numbers continue to quickly rise among students and teachers to the point where we will need to move to Level 3 - Fully Remote beginning Monday, November 16. We will maintain our published bell schedule and academic calendar while learning remotely. We plan to stay fully remote through at least Tuesday, November 24.
Since Halloween, we have had 16 new cases, with 5 being teachers. From August through October, we had 10 total cases, none of whom were teachers. In just 10 days, our total number of cases has increased by more than 150% with pending results for at least 25 additional people. We expect our case count to continue to climb through the week. Consequently, with nearly 10% of our staff currently positive or quarantined, keeping the school safely staffed is becoming untenable. That is why, after consulting with the Douglas County Health Department, we made the difficult decision to transition to Level 3.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely and update everyone each Tuesday and we will provide a definitive plan for the week after Thanksgiving on November 24. Students are welcome to begin fully remote learning immediately with a parent email to the Dean's Office.
Through our contact tracing, we cannot definitively determine the sources behind some of these new infections. The increase is consistent with the dramatic uptick in cases and community spread in the county. One of our major concerns is recent evidence from social media of informal gatherings of sizable groups of students taking place indoors with no masks or social distancing. Sadly, some of these gatherings are unofficially connected with Prep's co-curricular programs and events.
Despite our best efforts within the walls of Prep, we cannot isolate the school from the wider community. We continue to make adjustments to improve our protocols. But to lower our positivity rate, we need everyone's help in exercising the same precautions outside of school that we have in place during school. By wearing masks and avoiding crowded spaces, close contacts, and confined spaces (the three Cs) in and out of school, we can disrupt the transmission of the virus enough to resume in-person classes and co-curricular activities. Until we all adopt these practices anytime we are with people outside of our own households, it is difficult to see how we will be able to bring our case counts low enough to safely return to our desired Level 1 - Normal Capacity.
During my tenure at Prep, what has impressed me most is the strength and spirit of our community best exemplified by the brotherhood between students and the caring relationships between teachers and students. Students, I understand how difficult it is for you to face limits on socializing with your friends during this health crisis. And parents, I understand how difficult it is for you to balance the risks of COVID with your child's social and emotional needs. The time has come for us all to unite together and renew our commitment to the health and well-being of our community, with a special regard for those who are most vulnerable, so that we can beat back the virus and enjoy the kind of experience we were having together just a few short weeks ago.
There is hope on the horizon as we continue to make the tough sacrifices necessary to keep everyone safe. Thank you all for your efforts and understanding.
AMDG,
Jim Bopp
Head of School