February 4, 2022
Dear St. Mark's Families,
COVID-19 has now been a part of our lives for nearly two years. During that time, St. Mark’s has made tremendous efforts to adapt and adjust to the winding path of this pandemic. We have worked tirelessly to ensure the health and safety of every member of our School community. We created a Health and Safety Task Force to oversee COVID protocols at the School which has been guided by our expert consultants at EH&E to implement surveillance testing, mask and vaccine requirements, installation of air-filtration and air-circulation units, enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols, and adjustments to our lunch schedule, to name but a few items.
We have had to make difficult decisions, such as moving Chapel to the Putnam Family Arts Center’s Class of ‘45 Hall this year and, based on the advice of our consultants, temporarily suspending seated meal, a twice-weekly opportunity for students and faculty to dine together. Our athletics program was also hit hard by COVID, resulting in the cancellation of many competitions during the 2020-2021 academic year. Throughout all of this change and disruption, I have found our students, faculty, staff, and families to be patient, resilient, and committed to keeping St. Mark’s safe for everyone.
I believe we have now reached a point in the life of the pandemic that permits St. Mark’s to evolve our thinking about COVID protocols, as well as the ways in which the School communicates about COVID-related issues. While we are very much still living in a time of uncertainty, trends indicate that we are moving to an approach of COVID management rather than one of emergency response. Therefore, we are making the following changes:
COVID-related Communications
Beginning next week, I will shift to sending one COVID-19-related email each week that will include the results of that week’s surveillance testing along with any changes to COVID-related protocols and other COVID-related updates. Please know that I will be in touch immediately if there is ever a COVID-related outbreak or emergency. For the latest COVID-related updates, please visit https://www.stmarksschool.org/about/coronavirus-updates.
COVID Testing
We are also examining our approach to surveillance testing for faculty, staff, and students. Over the coming weeks, we will work with our consultants to examine the possibility of change in our surveillance testing methodology. We will examine pooled testing or a combination of pooled testing and rapid testing.
COVID Protocols
Our Health and Safety Task Force will continue to examine all of our protocols. This examination will include ensuring that the frequency of surveillance testing remains in line with our consultant’s recommendations, when to resume our seated meals, and how to approach interactions within our residential community. Also, our facilities team is working with our contractor to add a new HVAC system to Belmont Chapel as quickly as possible, which will allow us to return to this vital community space.
In the interest of the health and safety of our entire community, we will continue—for the time being—with our indoor mask requirement for all members of the St. Mark’s community and all visitors. As a reminder, all visitors to the School must be vaccinated.
Many of you have shared with me different perspectives on how St. Mark’s should move forward with its approach to COVID. Some members of our community have conveyed concern that the School is not taking a sufficiently conservative approach to COVID health and safety measures. By contrast, some members of the community have conveyed concern that the School is taking an excessively conservative approach that does not fully take into consideration the emotional cost to students that results from our current limitations. Please know that while we are listening to all voices within the community, we continue to rely on expert advice to guide our decision-making and to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, the health, safety, and emotional well-being of all members of our community. I am keenly aware of the emotional toll that COVID-19 has had on all members of our community—particularly our students. We are very fortunate at St. Mark’s to have a dedicated team of adults that is focused on the mental and emotional health of all of our students.
I am very proud that St. Mark’s is a boarding school that enrolls students from all over the United States and from all over the world. It is also important to me that all of our students—international and domestic—become prepared to be responsible global citizens, and I am pleased by the evidence I am seeing of growth toward that goal. All of us are facing challenges right now. Some of you, particularly if you live outside the United States, are facing extraordinary challenges that are very complicated and sometimes scary. Please know that the St. Mark’s adult community is deeply committed to supporting and assisting each of our students, whatever their circumstances and place of origin.
