Dear WES Families, 

As you know, we were scheduled to meet next week to discuss our reopening plans for the fall. However, as has often been the case since late March, we have received new information that may impact our current plans. Consequently, we have decided to postpone our community forums until the week of August 4.

Earlier this week, Governor Hogan and State Superintendent Salmon authorized local jurisdictions to make their own decisions regarding the reopening of schools as long as certain criteria were met and safety guidelines were followed.

Also earlier this week, Dr. Travis Gayles, county health officer and chief of public health services for Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, recommended that Montgomery County Public Schools start the school year in a virtual learning mode.

Independent schools in Montgomery County are seeking more clarity from Dr. Gayles on his recommendation and its implications for independent schools like ourselves, who have more space, lower density, and lower student-to-teacher ratios than the public school system. As a result, independent schools in Montgomery County received an invitation on Friday to meet Wednesday, July 29, with Dr. Gayles and Dr. Earl Stoddard, the county’s emergency manager, to discuss the reopening of schools in the county and the associated requirements that must be in place to allow for a safe return of students.

We are not sure if and how this meeting will impact our roadmap to reopening, and we want to ensure we are providing the most accurate and up-to-date information to the WES Family. We decided to postpone our community forum meetings to the week of August 4 to give us time to incorporate Dr. Gayles’ and Dr. Stoddard’s guidance into our planning. We will send Zoom links and more specifics about the new dates in an email next week. 

Thank you for your patience and flexibility; the rapidness with which circumstances can change can be difficult. We remain committed to providing a rich learning experience for your children while maintaining a safe learning environment for all of our students and our faculty.

Sincerely,
Danny Vogelman