Operations Plan (2022-2023)
We continue to offer both on-site and off-site programming. Mandatory masking indoors and at close proximity outdoors, regardless of vaccination status, remains a precaution we are taking to ensure the safety of our staff and students so we can continue operations through infection waves in the city. Symptom checks, use of HEPA air filters, CO2 monitoring, increased ventilation, and the provision of rapid tests are all additional measures we continue taking to support our collective health. We will also be focusing on hand hygiene, community health education, and adapting designs for events and visits in order to minimize the exposure risk we know comes with gathering big groups indoors.
We’ll update this page as we have updated guidance from the local health and education officials. We will, as always, aim to work with members of our community to figure out how to best meet folks’ varied needs with the resources we have without compromising safety.
Looking for some of the resource links and citations from our early response? Check:
and look over our original Covid Resources webpage.
Some Frequent Back-To-School Questions
What does school look like this year?
Starting September 7th, 2022, we will resume school, taking those first 3 days to discuss with kids what their goals are, what kinds of classes to offer for the fall, and what kinds of resources they need.
So long as conditions allow, we will gather on-site Monday through Friday, with the opening meeting at 9:30 am and the closing meeting after cleanup at 3:00 pm. All staff are vaccinated. Masks will be required for everyone indoors and outdoors at close proximity. Other measures will be in place as outlined in our above plan.
We will also keep online content available through the year. Meetings and some offerings will be livestreamed, and offerings that were all-online before will remain so. Outdoor days were popular over the past year and in family surveys, so will continue to be available as much as possible.
Big community gatherings, though usually the kinds of happenings we most look forward to, will remain virtual or outdoors only until conditions are safer for everyone.
What safety precautions are you taking?
We’ve been following the information put out by the city government, state government, CDC, WHO, and researchers with relevant expertise. We will continue to do so through the year.
Our video calls are end-to-end encrypted and password protected. Usual community agreements around respecting each other and navigating conflict remain in effect. Video call participants are encouraged to use virtual backgrounds or keep their cameras off if they feel more comfortable doing so, and we will continue to make use of the opportunity to discuss staying safe online.
Folks with symptoms are expected to stay home, and they will be sent home in the event they show up for in person school programming. We have vulnerable community members among us and among our households, so we need to take extra care with what we expose each other to.
In-person, masks are required. We’ll also attend to air quality, limit non-staff and non-students moving through the space, and keep washing our hands!
Can my enrolled student still get into college or prep for SAT, AP, and TASC tests? Can we enroll part-time and pay less tuition?
The college and testing landscapes are shifting, but the short answer is yes. Through the pandemic, as before, staff have been glad to help kids map out their plans, study for tests, compose and revise essays, and generally build the specific skills that align with their stated goals. This support has also remained available to graduates who reach out with enough notice, as well as to former students who became homeschoolers in response to the pandemic, though in those cases the first step is usually for them to pursue a high school credential.
We value off-site learning, but do not offer part-time enrollment. We offer sliding scale tuition, but it is not tied to attendance. Our staff will be running school offline, programming online, field trips, individual check-ins, family calls, space cleaning, admissions events, and covid reporting. They do a lot, regardless of how many days a student shows up on-site, and our tuition options reflect this.