Dear Families,
Greetings to you on this Monday of the third week of Easter!
You likely have heard that
Governor Walz closed all of Minnesota’s public and charter
school buildings
for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year, with the understanding that they would move to distance learning for the remainder of the school year. Moreover, as you well know, the MN “Stay-at-home” order issued by the Governor remains in place until May 4
th
.
In a letter emailed last week to all seniors and their parents, I stated, “(Note: Whatever decision Governor Walz makes regarding public and charter schools does not, by law, apply to private, Catholic schools).”
In addition, the Catholic Spirit published an article late in the day last Thursday wherein the
“Archdiocese recommends” that Catholic schools continue distance learning (and that buildings stay closed)
through the remainder of this academic year. See the
article and information
from the Archdiocese.
We are in the challenging position of looking at all the different angles of the situation before us. We want to be clear that we are with our bishops and respect their recommendation. At the same time, we continue to hope for some ability to return, even if in small groups, or facilitate a hybrid between distance learning and some school in our building. We believe we owe it to our families to consider in good faith all possible options. This week, we are discerning a final decision; we ask for your prayers.
We have
not
made the decision to close the Saint Agnes School building for the remainder of the school year at this time.
We will be working this week to determine what we will do in the month of May in the event that the stay-at-home order is lifted, while respecting guidelines offered by the MN Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control.
Know that the health and safety of all of our students, teachers, and families is a top priority for us. Equally important are our commitments to our role as a Catholic educational institution that promotes the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty, as well as our civil liberties and the pursuit of happiness, as enshrined in our constitution. We are working hard to find a healthy balance to harmonize all these goods together in fidelity with our bishops.
We will let you know as soon as possible within the next week regarding our approach to the remainder of our school year.
Please pray for us as we discern the best approach for Saint Agnes School,
Kevin Ferdinandt
Headmaster
