September 16, 2020

Dear BB&N Community:

We have learned a lot over these first five days of school being back in session. The biggest takeaway I’ve seen with my own eyes is simply the magic that comes from being back in each other’s company, whether in person or virtually. It has been so gratifying to finally take advantage of this long-awaited opportunity to re-uKnight with each other. We are starting to get more and more accustomed to the safety protocols that now shape our daily experience, from washing hands to staying six feet apart, to wearing face coverings. And in full embrace of the growth mindset, our campus teams have already made a number of adaptations based on observations from the first few days, including changes to improve traffic flow, enhance acoustics, and expand access to technology tools. 

In addition, we have been reminded on a daily basis about the importance of the uKnighted Community COVID-19 Pledge to ensure that we are all doing our part to keep each other safe. As I was telling all US students on Monday, our faculty and staff have done so much to allow us to open, but in the end our ability to stay open depends on all of us adhering to this Pledge. And it’s a 24/7 responsibility—the same sort of behaviors we are enforcing on campus need to be carried through when students are off campus too. As Item #9 of our Pledge reads, all members of our community have committed to:

Maintaining the same level of vigilance in upholding the school’s safety plan away from campus, including but not limited to wearing face coverings, maintaining social distancing, limiting exposure to as many people as possible and hand hygiene protocols.

Any violation of the Pledge will require, at a minimum, a student to participate in remote learning for at least 10 days and provide a negative PCR test result for COVID-19 performed seven days after the violation. They will not be permitted to be on campus for any reason during this period: academics, athletics, or other activities. 

Some violations of the Pledge have already occurred. For example, we were made aware of a birthday dinner attended last weekend by 10 US students. Although this number of attendees is within the state guideline of 25, the students were not wearing face coverings or observing physical distancing, thus not upholding our Pledge to one another. As a result, each of these students will follow the health protocol outlined above. We share this information not to condemn these students, as our reaction here is not disciplinary but focused on the health of our community. In fact, in talking to each of the students and their families, it was clear that they did not mean to risk the safety of others in our community. Yet, this scenario demonstrates how we all need to shift to think differently about the impact of our individual actions, as we work hard to keep our school open and safe for all members of our community.

To that end, please also remember to keep doing the required daily health screening of your children before they come to campus. And above all, remember that we are all in this together, that our individual actions matter, and that our school is at its strongest and healthiest when we are all supporting each other. 

Best,

Dr. Jennifer Price
Head of School
P.S. A reminder that if you or your family are struggling in any way due to the implications of the pandemic, please let us know via this confidential form. We are ready to help in any way we can!