Dear Hotchkiss Families,

We write to report on last week's COVID testing and recent developments about vaccination for students.
 
We received results from our Wednesday-Thursday saliva testing yesterday, and one employee in our community has tested positive. All other pools tested negative. The employee who tested positive is asymptomatic and works in our campus daycare, the Cynthia White Children's Center. The employee did not enter shared spaces with Hotchkiss students, but there is impact on our faculty and staff families who use the Center. Contact tracing revealed three close contacts among the CWCC staff, and we cannot rule out that some of the children in the center were exposed. CWCC will be closed for two weeks. The number of daily cases in our county and region continues to climb, though the speed of increase has slowed. You can access all data on our Campus COVID Dashboard, which is updated daily.
 
As of April 1, all Connecticut residents who are 16 and over are eligible to receive the COVID 19 vaccine. There are currently three vaccines that have FDA Emergency Use Approval for COVID 19:
  • The Pfizer vaccine is approved for individuals 16 and up
  • The Moderna vaccine is approved for individuals 18 and up.
  • The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is administered in a single dose and is approved for individuals 18 and up.
The definition of "Connecticut Resident" has been revised this week to include students living in Connecticut secondary (boarding) schools. As we reported earlier this week, we have been working diligently on a mass vaccination plan through local partners. While details need to be finalized, we are now optimistic that we will be able to either host an on-campus vaccination program for students, or transport our students to an off-campus site for a first shot in late April or early May and a second shot three weeks later. We will share more details when we can confirm the program, hopefully next week. 
 
Until we confirm our program, families may choose to make appointments for COVID vaccination on their own, but we will not authorize individual efforts once our program is established. Please note that the School cannot guarantee transportation if families make their own appointments, and specific COVID protocols will be required of families who drive themselves. The round trip for vaccination will need to happen within the same day, and the driver must have a PCR test and negative result within 72 hours of picking up the student, even if vaccinated. Your child will be expected to adhere to the same precautionary rules as we have on campus (masking, distancing, avoiding exposure to others) while in transit and off-campus. 
 
If you secure an appointment, please contact Danielle Shippey in the Health Center for further instructions. Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping the Hotchkiss community safe.

Sincerely,

Richard H. Davis Jr.
Associate Dean of Faculty
COVID Coordinator

Danielle Shippey, RN
Director of Health Services

Jared Zelman, MD, FACEP
Medical Director

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The Hotchkiss School, 11 Interlaken Road, Lakeville, CT 06039-2141, (860) 435-2591