August 27, 2020 Dear ESD Community, After careful consideration and extensive collaboration with health officials, our executive team, and ESD's Board of Directors, ESD will begin a phased-in return to campus starting September 8, 2020. Our faculty, staff, and I are excited to welcome students back to Merrell Road after a long five months. Yes, our plan diverts from the Dallas County Health Department's current guidance for schools to conduct remote learning only. Our decision to return included the following factors: - Health metrics are showing clear and positive trends and are predicted to continue to improve over the next four weeks.
- We are fortunate to be in a well-resourced community that allows us to implement health and safety protocols that mitigate risk. Our smaller class sizes and larger physical plant relative to school size aid our efforts.
- Our plans may be accelerated or decelerated depending on our community's compliance with health and safety protocols and health conditions at ESD and the Dallas community at large.
- We trust that with strong community cooperation, personal accountability, and consistent adherence to mandatory health and safety regulations, we will be able to meet this schedule.
- The option for a parent to choose remote learning for their child remains.
Our Phased Approach A one-week, phased approach allows us to better manage the transition to in-person learning. It provides the opportunity to ensure training and orientation for students takes place in masking, hygiene, pedestrian circulation procedures, and classroom, hallway, and lunch protocols and expectations. We will welcome back grades in stages using the schedule below. Once a grade is on campus, those students in that grade will continue on campus. The distance learning program will continue for all students through Friday, September 4, as will already scheduled Lower School Eagle Camp activities. There is no school on Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day. For those viewing the chart below on your phone, please turn your phone to a horizontal position. On-Campus: Beginner through Second Grade Students Virtual: Third and Fourth Grades On-Campus: All Lower School Students On-Campus: All Lower School Students On-Campus: All Lower School Students On-Campus: Eighth Grade Virtual: Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Grades On-Campus: Fifth and Eighth Grades Virtual: Sixth and Seventh Grades On-Campus: Fifth, Seventh, and Eighth Grades Virtual: Sixth Grade On-Campus: All Middle School Students On-Campus: Twelfth Grade Virtual: Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Grades On-Campus: Ninth and Twelfth Grade Virtual: Tenth and Eleventh Grades On-Campus: All Upper School Students On-Campus: All Upper School Students Please look for additional details and information from your child's Division Head next week. A Word About Our Faculty and Staff I want to take a moment here to express my gratitude and appreciation for our dedicated faculty. We recognize that their roles encompass much more than teaching, shepherding, and mentoring. In today's world, they must be multi-faceted and able to lead and educate our students through multiple learning platforms and challenging times in society, ever mindful of their students' social-emotional growth and well being. In regard to returning to campus, I am particularly mindful that teaching faculty, unlike families, do not have as much freedom of choice. Except in rare circumstances, my expectation is that faculty will be in their classrooms with their students upon our return. Discomfort exists for a variety of reasons, just as there are differing opinions about Coronavirus and its threat to public health. I raise this point because I want to emphasize the importance of following health and safety guidelines, regardless of how we feel about the conflicting messages we have received on the pandemic. Our compliance and cooperation will give our faculty, and our community, comfort and will allow us to remain in-person. Athletics and Outside of School Activities We remain hopeful health conditions in the metroplex will continue to improve to the point that competitive athletics are deemed safe for our students. Beginning next week, upper school students participating in fall sports will have the option to attend strength and conditioning sessions on campus. These sessions will be closely monitored by athletic staff, and all safety measures followed. Please see updates for sports programs available to students in all three divisions here. Questions regarding participation in the Sports Fellowship (PreK through sixth grade) and club sports continue to hit my inbox. The athletic department has remained involved in the Sports Fellowship program to ensure all interested students are included in the most equitable way should health conditions improve. However, our strong recommendation is that students do not participate in outside athletic programs at this time. This is a family choice, and it is not within my purview to dictate these decisions for ESD families. Please know that the more our community limits or eliminates activities outside of our school community, the better chance we have of achieving our shared goal of keeping students on campus. Our Community's Crucial Role in Carrying Out Our Return Plan The prospect of returning to campus is exciting. However, we must all understand that our experience on campus this fall will be impacted, for the time being, by COVID-19 conditions. With our faculty, staff, and all ESD families in mind, I want to reiterate the importance of adhering to health and safety protocols in our daily lives and when we are on campus. - We must wear masks, be socially distant, and practice good hygiene at all times.
- We must not gather in large groups or at social events without masks or engage in activities that make physical distancing challenging, on or off campus.
- I particularly want to implore our students not to gather in large groups on the weekends. We have seen the effects at college campuses around the country - large social gatherings, indoors or out, lead to COVID outbreaks. Please also keep this in mind over the Labor Day holiday. All of us must think beyond ourselves and make sacrifices for one another and the larger community.
- I know many, especially our students, have had to endure disappointment in the last five months and want very much to be with and among friends. We all want that. We all want normalcy. However, please know that starting and maintaining our in-person learning and potential to return to athletics, performing arts, and other treasured school activities rely, in large part, on the choices we make.
This pandemic has tested us and will continue to do so. Let us unite toward a common purpose, be patient, support one another, and make the best of challenging circumstances. Together, we will. Onward and upward, David L. Baad The Ann and Lee Hobson Family Head of School |