Adaptability Update - Message to VIMSIA Community
/Back on April 17th 2020, we distributed our reopening punch list. Item one was “Does the science of the coronavirus support safety of our students, staff and families?” Item two was “Do governing policies support…return to campus?”
Today the VIMSIA COVID Task Force met with VI Government Department of Health (DOH) officials to discuss our reopening plans and the state of COVID in St. Thomas. We are proud to report that DOH was pleased with our COVID protocols, however, the state of COVID in St. Thomas has worsened this past week. As you may have seen in the news, the number of positive cases per day is growing on St. Thomas, which seem to be compatible with community spread. The current positivity rate is 15%, which based on VI Government Department of Health recommendations and CDC guidelines is too high to safely open on campus learning. It is anticipated that cases will remain on the upswing over the coming weeks, thus DOH strongly advised that distance learning instruction would be preferable to on campus instruction, and requested that VIMSIA do its part to mitigate COVID transmission in the USVI.
Given the COVID scenario in the USVI, the COVID Task Force and the Executive Committee of the VIMSIA Board of Trustees voted to start school on August 18th as a distance learning operation that will be reassessed every 2 weeks in light of future COVID data. Both the Montessori and PGIA programs will offer lessons via distance learning technologies and physical learning tools.
As disappointing news as this may be, VIMSIA feels that this move to distance learning mitigates risk to the community and lessens the possibility of VIMSIA contributing to the growing COVID disease burden in the community and for our healthcare system.
We will continue to monitor the situation and we will reopen on-campus operations as soon as it is safe to do so. VIMSIA hopes it will not be longer than a two-week distance learning period and will continue to communicate with you about distance learning and the time frame for return to on campus instruction.
Therefore, please be advised that:
All COVID testing has been postponed.
All staggered start info has been cancelled.
All students will start on August 18th.
Transportation to and from St John will be addressed later.
I know parents and students were excited to get back on campus, but it is clearly not safe to gather in groups given the current COVID data in St. Thomas, much less to gather in large numbers at an institution of knowledge.
The Board and I thank you for your continued support of our institution during this unprecedented crisis, and wish every VIMSIA family the utmost health and safety in the coming weeks.
Michael Bornn, Head of School