All,
As I offer this update, I'm aware that I've now read dozens of recent letters from schools to their constituencies, including several from my own alma mater and one from the college where my son is currently enrolled. Similar themes emerge in all of them: gratitude for continued patience; empathy for the challenges of circumstance; shared regret for lost opportunities; evidence of a robust planning process; and – in the most honest ones – a direct admission: schools really don't know yet what the upcoming year will look like.
Missing from many letters, but where I'd like to begin for Urban, is an acknowledgment of the extraordinary work and care of the faculty and staff. Teachers, who have spent years honing curricula, shifted quickly to new ways of thinking and doing. Most impressively, they have sustained, even amplified, their energy and emotional commitment to the kids, without the restorative power of human contact that brought them to the profession in the first place. And the students at Urban? I have been awed by their efforts to stay engaged, their general optimism, and their willingness to meet their teachers halfway. In our planning for a complicated future, it's impossible not to be inspired by their collective example.
And we are planning. A dedicated task-force is roughing out three basic fall term scenarios that will take on greater detail with input from various constituencies in the coming month or so. By early July, we hope to have plans for each of the following: 1. In-person school, but with highly elevated hygiene and safety protocols 2. Continued Virtual Urban with steady refinement to the current program 3. A hybrid that allows for physical distancing within the buildings, with a cohort of students coming to campus while another cohort learns synchronously from home. Each of these options is like the proverbial Russian nesting doll – with every big decision followed by a slightly smaller one, and down to the most specific inquiry. (How far apart should the Purell dispensers be?)
Urban is extremely fortunate to have a talented, deeply invested administrative team, faculty leadership, and Trustees to work through the sea of expert advice and to evaluate best practices at similar schools around the country. With that said, state and local authorities, particularly the San Francisco Department of Health, will be offering both guidance and guidelines throughout the summer, up to, and beyond the start of school. Both will be essential in determining what is possible, safe, and best suited to Urban; as you are probably aware these guidelines are constantly evolving.
I would love to close by prescribing a month or two of unplugged bliss, but please do check your email and the website for updates.
With warm regards, Dan
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