Increasing Test Frequency for the Winter

During this season of gratitude, I am constantly thankful to be part of the PBS community together with you. I am writing today with an important video and a link to the required family questionnaire due back on Wednesday. You will select either 100% distance learning or on-campus instruction for the next academic session: January 11 through February 26.

My team and I recognize that you are making this decision as we face the most challenging time in the pandemic. To support your decision-making, my brief video message outlines one important change to keep our community safer: PBS will require a weekly COVID test for all students, faculty, and staff in January and February. The four underlying rationales for this change are explained in the video:

1. We want to do everything we can to keep campus open. 
2. We want to safeguard the efficacy of our instructional program.
3. We want to err on the side of caution and prioritize safety.
4. Expanded on-campus testing access, starting in January, makes our weekly testing plan reasonable, doable, and practical.

Your next steps

• Join Head of School Office Hours on Monday, December 7, at 8:00 p.m. 🗓 / 🎥. Note the change of day and time. My opening presentation will share more background on the weekly testing plan, with time for clarifying questions. 
• Complete the required questionnaire by Wednesday, December 9, at 5:00 p.m. You will be committed to this decision from January 11 through February 26. There will be another questionnaire for the academic session starting in March.
• Complete this brief survey by Wednesday, December 9, at 5:00 p.m. The purpose is to help us understand what PBS can do to make compliance with weekly testing frequency as easy as possible.

Other information

• We have updated our decision-making framework to include thresholds to close campus or delay opening campus after a holiday break. We want you to have this important information.
• Results from the current questionnaire will impact how we will organize cohorting and the rotation in our blended academic model starting January 11. The frequency and schedule of when your children are on campus in January will be based on how many students are in 100% distance learning at particular grade levels.

Thank you for your support and for our shared commitment to the health and safety of our community.