Dear Storm King Community;
Due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in New York State and our region, The Storm King School will take the following precautionary steps for the opening of school in January.

1) All boarding students should return to campus as planned. They are still required to report their negative PCR test results to the SKS Health Office (cneville@sks.org) before traveling or be prepared to hand them in upon arrival. As flight disruptions continue worldwide, we ask that any changes in travel/arrival plans be communicated to the School as soon as known.
 
2) On-campus PCR testing will take place on Monday, January 3, at 4 pm as scheduled in the Student Center for students, faculty, and staff. If you have not already signed up with the Health Office (cneville@sks.org), please do so by Thursday, December 30, at 5 pm. We strongly encourage community members to get tested on campus as it has become increasingly difficult to get a PCR test and prompt results at local pharmacies and testing sites.

3) Semester 2 classes will resume on Thursday, January 6, as planned. However, all classes on both Thursday and Friday of opening week will be conducted virtually. The faculty in-service scheduled for Wednesday, January 5, will also be virtual. Our target date to resume in-person classes and activities is Monday, January 10.

4) The opening weekend of January 8-9 will be a closed weekend. Boarding students must remain at school and day students should not visit the campus. On-campus activities and student life will continue during the weekend, but athletic competitions will be postponed to a later date. Masking and distancing rules will be closely followed.

5) Additional on-campus PCR testing is scheduled on Friday, January 7, at 4 pm and Friday, January 14, at 4 pm in the Student Center. These days will be open to all faculty/staff and students who still need a test on these dates. Please sign up with the Health Office for testing on these dates. 

6) Day Students are still required to submit a negative PCR test taken within three days of the planned start of in-person classes on January 10. Therefore, they must get tested on Friday, January 7, or later to begin classes the following Monday. We strongly recommend that Day Students take advantage of the on-campus testing scheduled for Friday, January 7, due to the limited availability of other testing alternatives. Day Students should not get tested before Friday, January 7.

7) The School will use the information gathered during the opening week of school to assess the presence of COVID-19 within the community and develop further plans moving forward. Our goal to return to in-person classes will remain Monday, January 10. However, if it is determined that a significant number of faculty members and/or students have COVID-19, we may extend online instruction and limit activities beyond opening weekend.

These precautions are designed to help our community resume full in-person instruction and student life safely while having to extend the testing period and spread out the campus population due to the scarcity of local tests and possible travel delays.
 
In light of this, we are also asking all of our Day Parents to be vigilant in limiting the possible exposure of their children over the next few days and weeks, so that when we do return to in-person school and activities, our community is as safe as possible. 

Your understanding and flexibility throughout the global health crisis has been invaluable and we thank you once again for your continued support. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with your questions or concerns.

 
Sincerely,




Jonathan W.R. Lamb, Head of School
845-458-7511