Onward Together

Onward Together: 

Welcoming Home our PA Family 

Update 2/09/2022 

Dear Families,

I want to take a second to thank you for partnering with us here at PA as we navigate keeping the school open and meaningful during the pandemic. A while back we extended our mask mandate in an effort to manage quarantines, isolations, and potential school closings. During that time the requirements for reporting and isolations fluctuated as the state’s ability to manage an influx of data became overwhelming, and as numbers climbed, peaked, and began to drop consistent with predictions and other data sets around the globe. Those temporary changes have now been made permanent.

The oversimplified response - I believe our strategy worked. My gratitude, my awe, my appreciation, are just the “in-the-moment” emotions I am feeling. I’d be lying if I didn't mention a bit of relief too.

On campus our numbers also climbed and fell consistent with those we see reported daily. Our active cases on campus today are a fraction of what they were a few short weeks ago. Our program is thriving. A recent wonderful example of such was when we sent more than 40 community members to Philadelphia to participate in a Model United Nations Conference. PA secured a record number of awards at the event with over 50% of the delegation coming home with honors.

This week will be the last week of our mask mandate. Friday, February 11th will be the last day masks are required here on campus in academic spaces during academic times. When we return on February 14th, coincidentally Valentine's Day, we will be mask-optional. Please know that we will partner with you if you would like our help keeping your own children masked. Please reach out directly to your divisional leader for such support.

We understand that the pandemic is not over. We also fully appreciate our responsibility to measure mitigation strategies vs impact vs quality of programming on campus. We do not take that responsibility lightly.

We will, in partnership with the ADH, continue to require isolations according to their guidance.

• Identified close contacts will be alerted. If a possible close contact develops symptoms, they need to isolate and are highly encouraged to get tested. Otherwise, a 5-day isolation is expected.
• Anyone who tests positive will isolate for at least 5 days, returning only if they are symptom-free or have improved symptoms with no fever for 24 hrs without the aid of medication.
• Those who develop symptoms (plural) at school will be sent home and encouraged to test to rule out COVID-19, or asked to isolate based on the requirements outlined above.
• Students returning from isolation after day 5 will need to wear a mask per the recommended guidelines for days 6 through 10.
• Any athletes who test positive will also, as they have been doing, have a cardiac screening and do a graduated return to play protocol.

Additional requirements for ECS based on state regulations.

• Students (Cubs - PK4) who are direct contacts will quarantine for 5 full days since they were last in contact with the positive individual. Students may return with a negative test after this quarantine time. In the absence of a negative COVID test, students will quarantine for the full 10-day period. If the PK4 student is 5 years of age and fully vaccinated, no quarantine is necessary.

Should our situation change and thus require a different plan, please know I will communicate accordingly.

Onward together,

Brock Dunn 
President and Head of School

Guidance for school campus COVID-19 policies are from the following sources:

• Centers for Disease Control
• Arkansas Activities Association
• Arkansas Department of Health
• Arkansas Department of Human Services

The processes outlined in each document are subject to change as developments occur.

PA Family Resource Center 

Please vist the PA Family Resource Center for details regarding important dates, classroom supplies, ways to get involved, and all of the tools needed to ensure a smooth transition before your student's first day.

PA Family Resource Center

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