OLD - BEFORE 2022 09 08 - Return to Campus

Pre-Arrival Tests

• Students and chaperones/coaches participating in school-sponsored athletic trips and Harkness Travel programs
• Children’s Center staff and children (Children’s Center family members are not required to take a pre-arrival test)
• Unvaccinated individuals

Screening Testing

• Monday, March 21 and Tuesday, March 22, upon arrival.
• Thursday, March 24 and Friday, March 25, on your normally scheduled testing day.
• Update! Results of pre-arrival tests and the first week of testing will help inform whether the School engages in testing for the week of March 28 before transitioning to symptomatic-only testing.

Masking

• All community members will mask indoors upon their return to campus, continuing the use of a KN95 or equivalent face covering.
• The School is planning to shift to a mask-optional campus shortly after the return from spring break and will make a final determination by March 25, taking into account results of our screening testing and continuing to rely on the efficacy of our community’s extremely high vaccination rates.

Pre-Spring Break Screening Testing Dates

Spring Break Departure Testing

Onboarding Protocols

• Students and chaperones/coaches participating in school-sponsored athletic trips and Harkness Travel programs
• Children’s Center staff and children (Children’s Center family members are not required to take a pre-arrival test)
• Unvaccinated individuals

• Monday, March 21 and Tuesday, March 22, upon arrival.
• Thursday, March 24 and Friday, March 25, on your normally scheduled testing day.
• Thursday, March 31 and Friday, April 1, on your normally scheduled testing day.
• Symptomatic-only testing will go into effect the week of April 4.

• Masking requirements also remain in effect during School-sponsored spring break trips.
• All community members will mask indoors upon their return to campus, as the School continues to determine the optimal strategy for adopting a mask-optional campus.
• The School is currently aiming to shift to a mask-optional campus shortly after the return from spring break and will make a final determination by March 25, taking into account results of our screening testing and continuing to rely on the efficacy of our community’s extremely high vaccination rates.

Screening Testing Program – moving to weekly, with a planned discontinuation of screening testing for vaccinated individuals

• The final testing days before spring break for students are Monday, February 21 and Tuesday, February 22.
• The final testing days before spring break for faculty and staff are Monday, February 28 and Tuesday, March 1.
• Unvaccinated community members will continue to be tested twice weekly.

• This is consistent with K-12 guidelines issued by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and with what many of our peer schools have been doing successfully for some time.
• The School will continue with testing of symptomatic individuals in the Health Center, as well as contact tracing.

Masking – evaluating plans for a mask-optional campus environment

Off-campus dining permissions

On-campus dining permissions

• Mask-optional athletic competition and practice
• Mask-optional performing arts
• Feeds in common rooms of Houses Off-campus permissions

Dear Lawrenceville Parents and Students,



As we return to an in-person winter term and engage in ongoing, careful COVID planning, I remain encouraged by our ability to successfully manage life on campus in a pandemic. The results of our screening testing program indicate that our mitigation protocols are functioning as intended, and the numbers are trending in a reassuring direction. We are finding prompt and responsible reporting of symptoms by community members, and after almost three weeks with students on campus, we have not found any worrisome vectors of spread.

Given this, we are prepared to transition, as planned, into Phase 2 of our winter term strategy, which involves a number of modifications designed to enhance the student experience and to restore just a touch of normalcy to their daily lives. The following modifications associated with Phase 2 will be effective beginning Saturday, January 22:


Mask-optional during athletic and co-curricular competition/active practice

• Student-athletes can remove their masks during active athletic competition and active practice if they choose to do so; they must remain masked while not in active play (e.g. sidelines of games).
• Coaches must remain masked indoors at all times.
• Unvaccinated/under vaccinated individuals must remain masked indoors at all times.

Feeds permitted in common rooms of Houses

• Feeds may be re-instituted in the Houses.
• Feeds are not permitted in academic buildings.

Off-campus permissions

• Students are permitted to go off-campus, but may not dine indoors.

We will continue to monitor our screening testing data and be informed by CDC and NJDOH in assessing and adjusting our COVID protocols. Thank you for your continued support as we seek the best for all.

Stephen S. Murray H’54 ’55 ’65 ’16 P’16 ’21
The Shelby Cullom Davis ’26 Head of School

• The day of the positive test result and/or the onset of symptoms is considered "day 0."
• Students who are able to return home for the duration of their isolation period are expected to do so. If students are unable to return home for the period of isolation, they will be housed in the units next to the Health Center. Students will attend classes remotely during their period of isolation.

• Boarders in single rooms may return to their houses and move about the campus freely. They must take all of their meals as "grab and go" in the dining halls, and eat in their own room or outdoors.
• Boarders with roommates will continue to sleep and shower in their dedicated units, but they may move around the campus freely. They must take all of their meals as "grab and go" in the dining halls, and eat in their isolation unit or outdoors.
• Day students may move around the campus freely, but they must take their meals as "grab and go" from the dining halls, and are allowed to eat in the McClellan Room only (small dining room on the ground floor of Irwin), or outdoors, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

• January 14, 2022 from 2 pm - 6 pm
• January 18, 2022 from 11 am - 2 pm
• January 27, 2022 from 2 pm - 6 pm
• January 28, 2022 from 2 pm - 6 pm

Please read these instructions on how to register your child for a booster.

1. If you would like to reserve an appointment for your child, please use this link.
2. Please fill out the attached consent form and then all completed forms should be sent to: PMPH-COVID19VaccineQuestions@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
3. For the subject line, please have them enter the student’s first and last name and the date of the clinic they are attending.
4. Please coordinate with your child to make sure that you choose an appointment slot that will not conflict with an obligation like practice or class times. (We will not excuse students from obligations for this appointment!)
5. Please register your child on this website BEFORE their appointment.

Booster Eligibility

Booster Requirement

• Community members who are not eligible for a booster shot but who have received their primary series of vaccination shots as previously required by the School will be considered fully vaccinated.
• This decision is consistent with the CDC’s strong recommendation that eligible individuals, ages 12 and up, receive the full COVID-19 dose and the booster and supports our commitment to the best for all.
• The School will honor previously approved religious and medical exemptions.
• If your student has been recently positive for COVID and you are unsure if they are eligible for the booster at this time, please contact your pediatrician for guidance. If they would like to delay the booster dose, please provide a letter with the expected date of eligibility.
• Upload documentation of your child’s booster shot to the Medicat portal.

There are a few reminders I want to provide:

• We have proven we can be nimble and responsive during uncertain times. Steady planning, in close consultation with the New Jersey Department of Health and our leading environmental science consultant, has resulted in upgrades to our facilities (including air filtration), a vaccine mandate, mask wearing, surveillance testing, and other mitigation methods. While we don’t have all the answers to this continually evolving pandemic, we are making informed decisions rooted in sound research.
• We are a highly vaccinated community. The vaccination and booster provide important layers of defense against the virus; 99% of faculty, 98% of students, and 93% of full-time employees are vaccinated. We are in the process of finalizing dates to host a booster clinic as we approach the January 31 deadline to receive the required booster shot. While being a highly vaccinated community doesn’t negate the need for practicing COVID-cautious behaviors, it does uniquely position us to continue to provide in-person instruction and valuable Lawrenceville experiences.
• Omicron spreads quickly, and there may be future (manageable) disruptions to campus life. It is reasonable to think that, given the surge in COVID cases throughout the country and here in Mercer County, we will see an uptick in cases here within the Lawrenceville community. As we collect additional data points, it is important to remember that we may implement various levers in terms of dining, athletics, travel, and other elements of the Lawrenceville experience. We remain committed to delivering an in-person experience.
• We are tracking the prevalence of COVID on our campus and in our community.
  • We have received results from the January 3 testing pool, revealing 12 positive employee cases and 2 positive student cases. This represents a positivity rate of 6.9%. Due to the high demand for tests, labs are experiencing delays in processing. We will continue to update our COVID-19 reporting dashboard as results are reported: www.lawrenceville.org/dashboard.
  • The School is maintaining discretion regarding isolation and quarantine periods based on guidance from both the CDC and NJDOH. Because of the current high prevalence of COVID, the School is following the NJDOH’s additional caution when it comes to the duration of isolation and quarantine periods for students.
• We are living in a time of unpredictability. As a community, we are learning to live with this uncertainty, and to live with what at times feel like slightly inconsistent protocols (As some of you ask, why do we mask in the classroom but allow masks off in the dining hall?). It is important to remember that we are not applying a single perfect solution – it is a series of layered protocols, like swiss cheese, that, taken together, provide a safe and healthy environment, while not stifling all movement and freedom of our community members.

As we prepare for the resumption of in-person classes, here are several resources:

We Are All In This Together

• The School requires all eligible individuals to get a booster shot by January 31, 2021 in order to be considered fully vaccinated. Community members who are not eligible for a booster shot but who have received their primary series of vaccination shots as previously required by the School will be considered fully vaccinated. This decision is consistent with the CDC’s strong recommendation that eligible individuals receive the full COVID-19 dose and the booster, and supports our commitment to the best for all. The School will provide additional information regarding booster clinics for employees and students who were unable to receive their shot during winter break, and is following the developing news around potential FDA authorization of the booster for children ages 12-15. The School will honor previously approved religious and medical exemptions.
• The School requires all individuals to use an approved N95 mask, KN95 mask, or KF94 mask, or a mask providing equivalent air filtration, or to double-mask using two surgical masks or a surgical and cloth mask. The School will make surgical masks available for those who need them and is working to purchase KN95 masks for all community members.
• The School will be guided by the revised CDC recommendations regarding isolation and quarantine periods, which can be seen here.
  • The isolation period is 5 days for those who test positive (as long as symptoms have resolved), with continued masking, indoors and outdoors, for 5 additional days.
  • Unvaccinated or undervaccinated community members who are close contacts may be asked to quarantine for 5 days, followed by 5 days of masking, indoors and outdoors.
  • There is no quarantine period (close contacts) for those who have received the booster, or for those who have received the primary series but are not yet eligible for the booster (i.e. still within six months of receiving the second dose of Moderna or Pfizer or within two months of receiving the single-dose J&J vaccine). These individuals will be asked to mask for 10 days, however.
• Employees and boarding students on campus will have modified access to facilities for fitness activities during the first week of onboarding and zoom classes. Campus is closed to day students until their arrival on Jan. 10.
• Conditions permitting, currently, spectators will be permitted at home athletic contests. Masks are required.

• The School will continue to prioritize the health and wellbeing of our community, while providing an in-person experience.
• Students will arrive in phases:
  • January 3 (boarding students with pre-arranged flight plans)
    • Unvaccinated or under-vaccinated students arriving January 3 must submit a negative pre-arrival test result.
    • Students must arrive by 7 p.m.
  • January 9 (remaining boarding students)
    • All students arriving January 9 must submit a negative pre-arrival test result.
    • Students must arrive by 7 p.m.
  • January 10 (day students)
    • All students arriving January 9 must submit a negative pre-arrival test result. This should be indicated on the return-to-campus form, sent by Dean McMillan. As a reminder, testing takes place 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
• The first week of classes (January 4-8) will be conducted via Zoom, with in-person classes and varsity interscholastic athletics beginning Monday, January 10. All remaining co-curriculars begin January 11.
• Masking is required in all indoor spaces, including during athletics. As noted above, the School now requires all individuals to use an approved N95 mask, KN95 mask, or KF94 mask, or a mask providing equivalent air filtration, or to double-mask using two surgical masks or a surgical and cloth mask.
• Community gatherings and large events will take place via Zoom, initially. Details for Winterfest, and other performing arts, are still being determined.

Phased Student Arrival: January 3, January 9/10

• January 3 for boarding students with pre-arranged flight plans
• January 9 for remaining boarding students
• January 10 for day students

Testing

• Unvaccinated or under-vaccinated students arriving January 3 must submit a negative pre-arrival test result.
• All students arriving January 9 and 10 must submit a negative pre-arrival test result.
• Students may take a PCR test up to 72 hours in advance (preferred) or an at-home rapid antigen test within 24 hours of arrival.

• All community members will be tested upon arrival to campus, and will be tested twice weekly after returning to campus (for a to-be-determined duration).

Academics

• 200/300 level courses: 55 min (normal homework time is 40 minutes)
• 400/500 level courses: 70 min (normal homework time is 55 minutes)

• have tested positive for COVID-19, or
• are unvaccinated and must quarantine due to exposure, or
• are unable to return to campus due to international travel restrictions.

Masking

Dining

Community Gatherings

Athletics

Reminders

• The School is strongly encouraging eligible individuals to get their booster shot during winter break in order to maintain in-person teaching and other core school activities. Parents should update their student’s medical record in Medicat with relevant documentation regarding their booster shot.
• All students should practice COVID-cautious behaviors 7 days prior to arriving to campus, including avoiding large gatherings and masking where appropriate.
• Parents should contact Beth Cicchino (bcicchino@lawrenceville.org) in the Health & Wellness Center if their student receives a positive test result during winter break.
• Prompt reporting of symptoms to the Health & Wellness Center remains an important and effective measure in identifying the prevalence of COVID-19 on campus and limiting potential spread. Students should not report to campus (day students) or class (boarding students) when they are symptomatic.
• Community members can find a summary of our testing data on our COVID-19 reporting dashboard: www.lawrenceville.org/dashboard.

Resources

• January arrival form (including day student pre-arrival testing)
• Academic schedule (Jan. 4-8)
• Athletics schedule
• Medicat portal (to upload booster documentation)

Testing

Masking

Athletics

Dining

Resources

• WHO Update
• CDC Statement
• U.S. State Department Travel Advisories

Additional Information

• Dean of Students Devondra McMillan, dmcmillan@lawrenceville.org
• Medical Director Bruce Kraut, bkraut@lawrenceville.org
• Dean of Athletics & Co-curricular Education Tripp Welborne, twelborne@lawrenceville.org
• International Family Liaison Yangyang Daniell, ydaniell@lawrenceville.org

• 7 student cases (only 3 since we began Phase 1 on Sept 6)
• 5 employee cases (only 2 since we began Phase 1 on Sept 6)

Testing Strategy

• The School will facilitate departure testing for international students whose home countries require this (please see the October 26 email below).
• The School will require a negative pre-arrival test for unvaccinated students.
• The School will test all students upon their arrival to campus.
• The School will resume twice-weekly testing for all community members (testing is currently one-weekly for the majority of the community).

Winter Term Athletics

• Dean of Students Devondra McMillan, dmcmillan@lawrenceville.org
• Medical Director Bruce Kraut, bkraut@lawrenceville.org
• Dean of Athletics & Co-curricular Education Tripp Welborne, twelborne@lawrenceville.org
• International Family Liaison Yangyang Daniell, ydaniell@lawrenceville.org

Dear Lawrenceville Families,

We understand that international boarding students may require a COVID-19 PCR test with a negative result and accompanying Lab Certification performed within 72 hours of their flight. The School will use MDL Laboratories and will provide them with the insurance information on file for your student. For more information on wait times, insurance coverage, and billing process please refer to their website: http://www.mdlab.com/. To arrange this departure test, please email bcicchino@lawrenceville.org and include:
 

• the name of your student
• the student’s flight details, including departure airport, destination, date, and time of departure
• the precise window within which the destination country is requesting that the test is to be performed and the requirements of the test that must be performed.

Please include the student’s name and “Departure Testing” in the subject line. Once we receive this information, we can assist in scheduling a test within the proper time-frame.

Please click here to review the CDC’s COVID-19 Travel Recommendations by Destination.

It is very important to bear in mind that in the event the results of the test are not reported as “negative” (in other words, if the test result reads “positive,” indeterminate,” “invalid,” or “inconclusive”), you must have an alternative plan through your designated emergency local contact for your child to depart campus by Friday, November 19. Please be sure to communicate this plan with the Dean of Students Office.

If you are not an international student but will be traveling internationally, the link below will lead you to the State of New Jersey’s resource page for COVID testing. This page will help you locate clinics, provide information regarding the available type of testing, provide the approximate wait time for results, and schedule a COVID test. Students and their parents will need to schedule these appointments and make the necessary travel arrangements to the testing location.

https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/testing#test-sites

Thank you for your attention to this notification.

Sincerely,
Beth Cicchino, RN

• The majority of our community members will be tested once weekly, rather than twice weekly.
  • Testing will be spread across Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
• There will be limited exceptions to this testing schedule. The following groups will continue with twice-weekly testing on their current schedule:
  • Unvaccinated and undervaccinated employees and students
  • Health and Wellness Center staff
  • Children’s Center staff
  • Athletes participating in club/travel team activities (including tournaments and showcases)
  • Students involved in certain community service programs
• We will continue to use saliva-based pooled testing.

Class Attendance Policy: Covid Update for 2021-2022

Notification process:

Expectations for students:

Class Attendance Policy from the Lawrenceville School Student Handbook

• Students are expected to attend all classes and required appointments. Absence from class is excusable only for:
  • Illness, certified by a Health & Wellness Center excuse for boarding students or a note from home in the case of day students.
  • Official School trips connected with athletic events, extracurricular activities, and special group activities.
• Special requests to miss classes for other reasons must be approved by the Office of Student Services. Permissions are granted rarely and then only reluctantly.

Coordination with Public Health

Isolation and Contact Tracing

• Per CDC guidelines, vaccinated individuals are not required to quarantine but need to self-monitor for symptoms.
• Unvaccinated individuals are required to quarantine for 14 days unless otherwise directed by the Health & Wellness Center.
• Individuals identified as a close contact of a positive case outside the School community must report this information to Human Resources (employees) or the Health & Wellness Center (students).

Cleaning and Disinfecting

Privacy

NEW: Best for All Agreement

NEW: Testing Consent Form

NEW: Outside Activities

Additional Elements of Lawrenceville’s Return-to-Campus Plans

COVID-Cautious

Pre-Arrival Testing

Onboarding Testing

Masking

Dining

Off-campus permissions

In Closing

Dean of Students Devondra McMillan: dmcmillan@lawrenceville.org

Medical Director Bruce Kraut: bkraut@lawrenceville.org

Dean of Athletics and Co-Curricular Education Tripp Welborne: twelborne@lawrenceville.org

Dean of Academics Alison Easterling: aeasterling@lawrenceville.org

Chinese Teacher Yangyang Daniell: ydaniell@lawrenceville.org (international families)

Communications Office: communication@lawrenceville.org (general questions)

• Student orientation will run from Wednesday through to Sunday for both boarding and day students.
• Day students may be picked up from their Houses at the end of day, 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, 8/31 & Thursday 9/3; 8:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. on Friday, 9/4.
• On Saturday, 9/4, students may have athletic practices during the day and participate in an optional social event on Saturday afternoon and evening.
• On Sunday, 9/5, students need to be in formal attire for the 3:15 p.m. new student induction, 5:15 House photos, and 5:30 Convocation; they may be picked up after Convocation. (I promised you that they’d be busy!)

Pre-Arrival PCR Test

Positive Result

Negative Result

Prior COVID-19 Diagnosis

Vaccination Documentation

Flexibility remains key.

There is good news.

Vaccination is an important defense.

• 99% of faculty
• 91% of full-time staff
• 98% of students

Masking and testing during onboarding will help ensure a safe start to the academic year.

Pre-Arrival

Onboarding

Additional Information and Resources

Important Contacts

Vaccination Timeline

• The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single dose (two weeks until full immunity).
• The Pfizer vaccine is a two-dose series separated by three weeks (five weeks until full immunity).
• The Moderna vaccine is a two-dose series separated by four weeks (six weeks until full immunity).

• August 7 for those arriving August 21 (Pre-season A)
• August 13 for those arriving August 27 (Student Council, Honor Council, Prefects)
• August 14 for those arriving August 28 (Pre-season B)
• August 17 for those arriving August 31 (Form II)
• August 18 for those arriving September 1 (Form III-V)

International Student Vaccination

Vaccination Documentation

Requesting a Religious or Medical Exemption

Mitigation Measures

• pre-arrival testing,
• a modified period of quarantine during onboarding,
• ongoing surveillance testing,
• masking in certain facilities and situations (likely indoors),
• restrictions with respect to participation in certain off-campus and non-School sponsored activities and programs,
• being required to quarantine if identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19 or deemed to have been at risk for exposure to the virus, and
• being required to isolate or leave campus if diagnosed with COVID-19.

Additional Information

Dear Lawrenceville Parents and Students,

On June 16, the School hosted a fall return-to-campus webinar for parents (see “Webinar Archive” for the recording). We are writing today to summarize the information in the webinar and to provide updates on planning decisions that have been made since our last return-to-campus communication on May 4 (see “Email Archive”). Please stay tuned throughout the summer months as we strive to provide timely, relevant, and transparent communication regarding the eagerly anticipated return to campus.

Return-to-Campus Essential: Vaccination

With a low rate of COVID-19 cases in the academic year, and no discernible on-campus spread, our collective work as a community was instrumental in mitigating the spread of COVID-19. As we look to further protect our campus from the spread of the virus, we are calling upon all eligible faculty, staff, and students to support our efforts to become a highly vaccinated community. In short, our fall return-to-campus plan depends on it.

We anticipate that achieving a highly vaccinated community will allow us to resume full in-person teaching and learning, athletic competition, co-curriculars, House access and activities, performing arts, and other events and traditions that we have missed so greatly over the past year. While these activities will assuredly require proper safety and mitigation measures, we hope to operate with fewer restrictions in place - creating conditions for a healthy and whole experience that nurtures our physical, social-emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

Vaccination documentation

All students should have their final shot in the series administered at least 14 days prior to returning to campus to help ensure proper immunity before reentering the community. Families can submit proof of vaccination through the Medicat portal, accessible on the Veracross parent portal under “Parent Resources.”

Vaccination rates

Our current plan is based upon these already achieved statistics, representing a high degree of vaccination of community members:

• 96% of faculty

• 87% of full-time faculty and staff

• More than 50% of students

International Student Vaccination

The School is currently developing options for vaccination on or nearby campus for those students who cannot access the vaccine in their home country. Associated mitigation measures, including quarantine, will be evaluated and communicated as vaccine accessibility continues to evolve. We realize this is a source of concern for some of our international families - please know we are working to help these students receive vaccination shortly after arrival.

Onboarding Process

We are currently developing the onboarding process to welcome students back to campus, including the possibility of continued surveillance testing for unvaccinated, ineligible, or exempt community members, as well as an evaluation of our Best for All protocols and mask policy. We will continue to utilize outdoor spaces and enhanced air filtration. Additional details will be provided as decisions are made, in accordance with state and local guidelines.

POM Readers

POM Readers are not currently planned for use this fall. The last student positive case occurred the week of April 12 and community vaccination rates continue to climb. Due to these positive indicators, the School will no longer use POM Readers as part of our contact tracing procedures. We will continue to contact trace according to the New Jersey testing and contact tracing protocols.

Athletics, Co-Curriculars, and Club Activities

Our goal in the fall is to provide a robust list of co-curricular offerings, including competition in interscholastic sports. At this time, the School is planning to permit club and off-campus activities that align with CDC and state guidelines. Pre-season A participants arrive August 21; Student Council, Prefects, and Honor Council representatives arrive August 27; and pre-season B participants arrive August 28. Detailed schedules for these days will be sent in early July with other back-to-school information.

Orientation

We are currently focused on creating experiences to bring the community back together in the fall, helping to ensure a smooth transition for those who are new to the community, those who are rejoining after remote instruction, and those who are returning after having been on campus in the spring. All students will be invited to a full orientation this fall, with specific offerings for new and international students. To this end, we will be offering a virtual orientation webinar for all parents on July 15 at 8:30 a.m. EST. Please click here to register >

Important Dates

August

21: Pre-season A begins (football and ropes course instructors: by invitation only)

27: Student Council, Prefects, and Honor Council arrive

28: Pre-season B begins
 (all other teams and Periwig: by invitation only)

31: Second Form arrival, move-in and orientation

September

1: Non-pre-season Third-Fifth Form student arrival, move-in and orientation

3: Academic orientation

5: Convocation; welcome to new students

6: Regular classes begin

Upcoming Communications

All webinars and communications are posted at lawrenceville.org/reopening. Specific questions regarding fall return-to-campus can be directed to communication@lawrenceville.org. We will be offering several communications throughout the summer, including:

• Early July: Back-to-school forms and information

• July 15: Parent orientation webinar

• Early August: Return-to-campus webinar

Please note that our return-to-campus plans may shift based upon the prevalence of the virus in our county or region and on our campus, as well as the severity and spread of COVID-19 variants.

We extend our sincere gratitude to all community members for their continued resilience and support. The fall will offer important opportunities for connection, teaching, and learning - thank you for doing your part to help us achieve this vision.

Relaunch Task Force

Dear Lawrenceville Parents and Students,

On April 29, the School hosted a fall return-to-campus webinar for parents (see “Webinar Archive” for the recording). We are writing today to summarize these plans and inform you of the timing for our next stage of decision-making.

A second return-to-campus webinar is scheduled for June 16 at 5 p.m.; please click here to register. Our goal is to provide timely, relevant, and transparent communication throughout the summer as our plans evolve to support an enriching, in-person fall term.

Return-to-Campus Essential: Vaccination
With a low rate of COVID-19 cases in the academic year, and no discernable on-campus spread, our collective work as a community has been instrumental in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, even when rates were rising across the county and state. As we look to further eradicate the virus from campus, we are calling upon all eligible faculty, staff, and students to support our efforts to become a highly vaccinated community. In short, our fall return-to-campus plan depends on it. All students should have their second shot administered 14 days prior to returning to campus to help ensure proper immunity before reentering the community.

Normality
Our return-to-campus plan for fall 2021 anticipates all Lawrenceville students in classrooms and residential settings, operating as close to normal as is prudent. Returning to a relatively normal campus environment brings a clear benefit to the health and wellbeing of our students and all community members; we know that being around the Harkness table, training in the Field House, being part of House feeds, and engaging in conversation across campus are foundational elements of a Lawrenceville education. We anticipate achieving a highly vaccinated community will likely allow us to resume full in-person teaching and learning, athletic competition, co-curriculars, House access and activities, performing arts, and other events and traditions that we have missed so greatly over the past year. While these activities will assuredly require proper safety and mitigation measures, we hope to operate with fewer restrictions in place -- creating conditions for a healthy and whole experience that nurtures our physical, social-emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

Access
Earlier this spring, the School arranged for all eligible faculty and staff to receive the vaccine on campus through a partnership with Penn Medicine; more than 76% of employees, according to a recent survey, are partially or fully vaccinated. With support from Parents@Lawrenceville, the School has also arranged for a vaccination clinic at a nearby Walgreens, with more than 190 eligible students receiving their first dose of the vaccine on April 27. The School will continue to seek vaccination opportunities for eligible community members. Please see this April 27 email from the Health & Wellness Center for additional information on vaccination documentation, which will be required for the fall.

Further Planning
Additional elements of our fall return-to-campus plan, including the possibility of continued surveillance testing and POM Readers, as well as an evaluation of our Best for All protocols, are still being developed and will be communicated as decisions are made.

Over the next several months, we will focus on creating experiences to bring the community back together in the fall, helping to ensure a smooth transition for those who are new to the community, those who are rejoining after remote instruction, and those who are returning after having been on campus in the spring. All students will be invited to a full orientation this fall, with specific offerings for new and international students.

We extend our sincere gratitude to all community members for their fortitude and positivity throughout the past 13 months. We are stronger together, as evidenced by the Lawrentian spirit so many of you have demonstrated in the face of so much. The fall will offer important opportunities for connection and teaching and learning -- we thank you for doing your part to help us achieve this vision.

Relaunch Task Force