Dear Warrior Family, I love the contemporary language of Psalm 46:1-2. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. THEREFORE, WE WILL NOT FEAR THOUGH THE EARTH SHOULD CHANGE." Things changed this week. Yet, God's promise and presence remain unchanged. I plan a podcast for tomorrow that briefly updates you on AMI, Spring Break and beyond. Dr. Greg Bledsoe, Arkansas' Surgeon General, will be my guest. But, today, I wanted you to see what our consortium of Little Rock private school heads is thinking. See our letter below. The more we flatten the curve, the sooner we get back to school. The opposite is equally true. Thank you for your encouraging feedback on AMI days. Our team of servant leaders is working hard to serve you well. Prayerfully, Gary To Our School Communities,
During these unprecedented and uncertain times, we continue to work together to make the best decisions for our students, families, and communities. We appreciate the spirit of cooperation that these circumstances have evoked from all of us in the school community and continue to lean heavily on one another to keep our communities safe and healthy.
With the Governor's decision to close all public schools in Arkansas until March 30 (at this point), our attention has turned towards contingency planning should virtual/AMI learning environments need to continue once we return from Spring Break. While final decisions will be made in the coming days and likely during the break, we felt it would be helpful to give you the circumstances under which we would anticipate the continued closures of our campuses. At this point, we would keep campuses closed if: - The Governor or other state authorities announce the extension of the AMI days for public schools past March 30;
- The rates of infection in the Little Rock and surrounding communities increase significantly, making social distancing even more critical;
OR - A particular school would likely remain closed if a student, staff, or faculty member tests positive for COVID-19, barring other instruction from government agencies.
In light of the interdependency of our community during this pandemic, we once again ask that students, faculty, and families make your school officials aware of travel plans, potential exposure, and diagnoses. This cooperation is critical to our effective decision- making and the safeguarding of our communities.
With such an evolving situation, we know that other factors may emerge that require us to continue in the virtual/AMI learning environments for some time beyond March 30. We are prepared for that. At the same time, we are looking forward to the time we can return to a sense of normalcy, reunite our communities on our campuses, and celebrate the close of another successful year.
Sincerely yours, |