Dear Parents,
We have so much to be thankful for as we head into Thanksgiving Break. In the midst of this pandemic we celebrate the fact that since the start of school in August, God has allowed us to provide 15 weeks of in-person instruction available for all students. Thank you for partnering with us as parents and students. This partnership has successfully enabled us to stay in school. May the Lord be praised for His goodness and faithfulness as we are humbled by His presence in our CVCA community!
Due to the increase of cases in the community last week, Summit County Public Health has issued a “stay home” advisory. The advisory addresses schools in two particular areas:
- “Residents should only leave home to go to work or school, or for essential needs…”
- “Public and private K-12 schools are advised to maintain awareness of case numbers both within their district buildings and the general community. Shifts to learning modality could become necessary.”
You might have noticed the increased frequency of “COVID positive” emails you have received from CVCA’s Health Alert system. Not surprisingly, the increased positive cases in our school community reflects of the greater community increases. However, we want to assure you that we continue to prayerfully make data-driven decisions in the midst of this pandemic. Additionally, we want to share with you the current data as of today (11.23.2020, 10:30 a.m.).
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CVCA Active Cases: 4 students and 3 faculty/staff (Active refers to individuals who are confirmed positive and currently in isolation.)
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CVCA Total Cases since September 1: 15 total
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CVCA Students/Adults Currently in Quarantine: 27 total (Based on cases including individuals considered positive contacts at school and less than 6 feet for more than 15 minutes). We understand others may be in self-quarantine or quarantine based on exposure outside of CVCA, but we report on students the SCPH have advised CVCA to quarantine based on contact tracing.
We continue to “maintain awareness” (per Advisory Statement) in close consultation with Summit County Public Health, as well as our own trusted medical advisors. Additionally, we also consider the national and local reporting describing schools as “non-spreading environments” when effective mitigation measures are in place. Therefore, we will cautiously continue in-person instruction while offering distance learning for students. As we know, numbers and circumstances can change rapidly, so we all need to be ready to pivot to CVCA ONLINE if any of the following occur:
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Teacher absences/quarantines increase: If too many teachers are unable to be present at school, we will not have enough adults to deliver on-mission at a high level.
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Active positive cases for students and teachers increase
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On-campus student attendance decrease: It will be untenable for our teachers to deliver on-mission if classrooms become unbalanced between in-person and online students. That being said, please continue to choose our online option when you are sick, quarantined, or uncomfortable on campus; but refrain from the online option if convenience is your main concern.
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SCPH or other state/federal mandates order a shift in educational delivery
With all of this in mind, we forge on with courage and discernment as we daily seek wisdom from the Lord knowing that the landscape can change rapidly. We must all be prepared to adjust with humility. We will keep you updated during Thanksgiving Break, but at this time we plan on delivering in-person instruction (continuing with a distance-learning option) on Monday, November 30 and following.
We will continue to respond to the ongoing challenges of the pandemic in collaboration with local health departments and medical professionals. Please continue to report any student positive cases that arise in your family during Thanksgiving break to [email protected]. We are ever-mindful of the safety and well-being of our students and staff as we daily strive to Educate and Cultivate Servants for Christ.
Serving together,
CVCA Administration
