March 12, 2020
Dear Families,
I have made the decision to cancel classes tomorrow at BB&N. This decision, supported by our consulting physician, will best ensure the continuing health of our school community. As I have communicated many times, the safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority at BB&N. Fortunately, we still remain aware of no cases of COVID-19 infection in our community and I have concluded that it is not worth risking that for a single day of classes.
All of our campuses will be staffed tomorrow morning between 8am and 10am so that any student/family who has not yet brought home everything can come in to pick up anything they might need in the event of an extended school closure following Spring Break (books, binders, laptops, devices, etc.). Many students have already done this today, but I’m sure not all. If you do need to do this tomorrow, please plan for a very quick pick-up process.
The school will remain completely closed over the next two weeks of break. No faculty, students, or family members will be allowed to access our buildings during break starting tomorrow afternoon. This will give our maintenance team a chance to perform intensive cleaning of all our facilities. We have also decided today, in consultation with all of the ISL Heads, that all sports practices are canceled while school is not in session (for the time being, this will mean no Upper School practices will be held during the week of March 23rd).
I know this might feel like a sudden entry into Break for all of us. There are many school communities today, both independent and public, who are making the same decision. As I noted above, the most essential decision facing our BB&N community right now is how do we best support the health of our students, teachers, staff members, and extended families.
As I wrote you last night, my team and I will continue to evaluate the impacts of COVID-19 in the days ahead as we plan for what school will look like after break. I will try to make a decision about the resumption of school as early as possible, but as you know things continue to develop at a swift pace. Whatever the situation, I will email an update to the entire community by next Friday, March 20th at the latest.
For any families who might still have an international trip planned over Break, I’m sure that you are already aware that the Department of State
advised U.S. citizens to reconsider travel abroad
due to the global impact of COVID-19. As they note on their website, “Many areas throughout the world are now experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks and taking action that may limit traveler mobility, including quarantines and border restrictions.” For those who have domestic travel plans, the
CDC has a useful resource
which lists several things you should consider when deciding whether it is safe to travel.
I recognize that it has been a hectic and unsettling couple of weeks for everyone. Above all else, my hope for our entire extended community is that we all remain healthy and safe throughout Spring Break and beyond. Please take care of yourselves and do pay attention to the recommendations of our public health agencies.
Be well.
Dr. Jennifer Price
Head of School
