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August 30, 2021
Dear BRCS Parents,
As we begin this new year, I want to restate our continued commitment to health and safety in our school, offering guidance on the school’s current approach to the presence of Covid-19 in our community and infectious disease in general. We continue to monitor the situation with the awareness that change has been one of the few constants over the last seventeen months. We strive to take a thoughtful, reasonable approach to the situation, and thankfully, we are in a much better place today than we were last year. In recognition of this fact, our school’s Board of Directors rescinded our Covid-19 Reasonable Restart Plan last May with the caveat that we would continue to rigorously enforce the use of the Daily Health Checklist of symptoms as a most effective way to stem the spread not only of Covid-19 but other infectious diseases such as influenza, as well.
I am aware that for various reasons, some of our parents might be concerned about having their children in a congregant school setting, and I understand this concern. What we have lived through over the last seventeen months has affected us all, and a transition toward a more normal experience of being together may be a source of anxiety. My hope is that the information in this letter helps you to understand what this school year will look like in terms of our management of student illness and expectations around Covid-19. Here is what you can expect:- Personal responsibility is crucial to the well-being of our school. We need all parents to take responsibility for their own role in a promoting a safe and healthy school according to their own condition and needs. This may include vaccination.
- The rigorous use and adherence to the Daily Health Checklist is an important way to reduce the spread of disease in our school. No student should be brought to school or school-related activities if they fail the daily checklist. In case of doubt, stay home.
- Students and staff desiring to mask are welcome to do so.
- We encourage a robust relationship between you and your primary care physician for the proper management of illness and health needs. If it is possible for us to support your needs without excessive burden on the school’s resources, including our teachers, we will strive to do so.
- Due to the greatly changed landscape surrounding immunity, vaccination, and therapeutic treatment and privacy concerns, BRCS will not be conducting contact tracing, forcibly quarantining “close contacts”, or handling personally identifiable health information regarding Covid-19 with our students or staff.
- We have installed and continue to utilize an air purification system in our HVAC system. These additions are effective in eliminating viruses and other airborne irritants and pathogens.
- Finally, we will continue to teach, model, and encourage healthy hygiene practices.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to me. We are poised to have a great year at Bishop Ryan. Let’s each keep our school and our families in our prayers!
Sincerely,
Fr. Jadyn Nelson
School President