We write to announce the opportunity to visit your children on campus and the required safety protocols.
We continue to be grateful to have students back in person and have been collaborating with them to ensure our community is healthy and safe. As you are no doubt aware, the PCR testing we have been doing twice per week on all students, student-facing adults, and residential families has allowed us to accelerate our initial quarantine period and to resume in-person classes, co-curriculars, dining, club meetings, rehearsals, intra-dorm visitations, and myriad other activities that contribute to the vitality and character of our Hotchkiss community. However, we also know that the semester will be long, without opportunities for students to leave campus.
Beginning this weekend (March 20-21) and continuing on subsequent Saturdays and Sundays, we are offering you the opportunity to visit campus in order to connect with your children. We will require a series of precautionary measures and ask that you follow our expectations assiduously in order to ensure the health and safety of not only your children but also our Hotchkiss community. We are continually monitoring local health conditions and may suspend or cancel visits if we see inordinate risk to campus health. Also, depending on the number of requests, we may ask you to delay or reschedule a visit.
The Process
- Visits are only allowed on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 5pm.
- Request a visit using this form by Thursday noon before the weekend you wish to visit.
- Before you come to campus, we ask that you be especially diligent in minimizing your chances of acquiring COVID-19 for 10 days.
- We are asking visitors to obtain a COVID PCR test from within 72 hours of arrival on campus. You will be asked to provide proof of a negative test when you check in at Security.
The Visit
- Check in with Security when you arrive, either at the Welcome Station at the main entrance to campus or at the Security office in the basement of Coy Dormitory (the first dorm on the left as you enter campus).
- All visits must occur outdoors, and all participants must be masked and physically distanced for the duration of time spent together. There is ample outdoor space on our campus for you and your child to take a walk.
- Here are some guidelines for safe physical contact.
- Vehicle use -- even sitting inside a car -- is prohibited, and visitors will not be able to access school buildings including dorms, gym, and classrooms. Consider the weather when you are planning your visit.
- Given the increased risk of transmission while unmasked, please do not share food while visiting.
- Per our agreement with other schools about our spring interscholastic competitive season, you will not be able observe games in person. We will make an effort to livestream as many games as possible for your enjoyment.
Given our current understanding of the virus and transmission, we believe we can offer this opportunity with minimal risk to the campus community. We're all in this together, and we are grateful for your partnership to help keep our community healthy.
Please reach out to either of us if you have any questions or concerns.
Warm wishes,
Steve McKibben P'22
Dean of Community Life
Richard H. Davis Jr.
COVID Coordinator
