Dear CBA Family,
In less than one month, we will return to school. As we plan for this return, we know many of our families will have questions about the details of our plan. In developing our plan for this school year, our administration, working with local leaders in medicine and science, followed guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the NYS Department of Health (NYSDOH), and the Albany County Department of Health (ACDOH) as we did last summer. Once again, we are planning for a full return to school in September, with a plan with enough flexibility to handle any changes in public health conditions. Our plan offers in-person instruction to every student, all day, every day.
This plan is based on the data, recommendations, and best practices as of today. Our first day of classes is a month away and with evolving recommendations, volatile levels of community transmission, and fluctuating daily averages of positive cases, our plan is likely to change. The recommended mitigation strategy involves a layered prevention approach including social distancing, proper cleaning and hygiene protocols, classroom ventilation, and scheduled outdoor time. As of today, our plan may include all students, faculty, and staff wearing masks indoors in accordance with current CDC guidelines and AAP recommendations. As conditions are sure to change, our administration and team of medical experts will continuously evaluate our plan and make appropriate adjustments.
Our plan, with the current CDC guidelines, is designed to virtually eliminate quarantining of students through contact tracing. The CDC guidance excludes students who were at least 3 feet from an infected student in a classroom if both the infected student and the exposed student(s) were wearing masks properly. These changes allow us to return to our usual class sizes and a traditional period length.
Research shows in-person instruction is the most effective method of instruction. However, we may have some students who are unable to attend school in person. For those students, we will offer the option of enrollment into an independent remote program taught by CBA faculty. To help the planning of this program, we ask all parents to complete a very short survey on the remote program option, which will be sent to our parents via text message.
On BronationDay, we announced our plans for a turf field in our stadium. On September 3, we will open our new turf field with our first football game against La Salle, renewing our battle for The Saber. Please join us as we open the season, our new field, and our new school year with great excitement. Over the next few weeks, you will receive frequent communication from our administration with every detail of the start of the school year. The excitement is building and we are looking forward to a great return to school. I hope you and your family stay safe and enjoy the remainder of the summer.
St. John Baptist de La Salle, pray for us. Live Jesus in our hearts, forever!
Sincerely,
Dr. James Schlegel
President
Additional Resources
CDC Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools
American Academy of Pediatrics COVID-19 Guidance for Safe Schools
Effectiveness of Mask Wearing to Control Community Spread of SARS-CoV-2