September 30, 2020

Dear Parents,

I write to bring you an update on the status of our School community as it relates to the challenges associated with COVID-19. First and foremost, I must acknowledge the commitment and dedication of the students, faculty, and staff to the overall health protocols that are in place to best ensure the health and safety of the community. The students have been, to a large majority, compliant with the protocols regarding face coverings. We knew that physical distancing would be particularly challenging for adolescents, but I must say that the boys have really made noticeable strides with this protocol during this past month.

Secondly, and of equal importance, I want to acknowledge your support and sacrifice as we navigate our way through this unpredictable school year. One of Trinity-Pawling's strengths is its predictable structure. While we have worked to maintain the importance of many of our structures, many aspects of them have had to be modified. Moreover, nothing is predictable about the world we are currently in. Your patience and forbearance is greatly appreciated during these weeks and months, especially when change is forced upon us all.

As you know, we tested all students, faculty, staff, and residents at the start of the school year to establish a baseline of negative test results. Since then, we have begun weekly surveillance testing. This aspect of our plan was slightly delayed due to an unforeseen supply chain problem that forced us to shift plans for on-site testing to off-site testing for this surveillance. For the past two weeks, though, we have been following this protocol while we also monitor the overall conditions in the state of New York and the surrounding areas.

New York State has seen a slight uptick in the positive infection rate for the virus, especially in some of the counties to the south of Dutchess County. Moreover, there have been increases in positive test results in parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. I must underscore that these increases, compared to what is happening in other areas of the country, are not significant, but they are something that commands our attention.

Out of an abundance of caution, therefore, the School has decided not to allow boarding students to leave campus this weekend, giving us the necessary time to monitor these trends. This delay will also allow us additional time to continue with the surveillance testing.

We will continue to offer activities for the boys to be engaged while on campus, including offering some trips to outdoor venues off campus (fishing, hiking, etc.). The ice in the hockey rink will also be suitable for skating later this week. Moreover, parents may come and visit their son on campus, as long as the visit is outdoors and that face coverings are worn. Parents are not allowed in the dormitories or other buildings (bathrooms are available on the main floor of Cluett), and boys may not leave the campus with their parents.

I am appreciative of your patience and understanding as we navigate our way through this challenging year. To offer some perspective, we are completing our fourth week of academic classes and our fifth week of having the boys back on campus. While challenging, the overall morale is positive and there is dynamic learning taking place each day. There are some other boarding schools that are only now welcoming students back onto campus for in-person instruction. I am proud of our faculty and the students who have worked to make this first month of education happen in ways that we all know are best for student learning – in community with one another.

Should you have any questions pertaining to weekend leaves in the future, please do not hesitate to contact Dean of Students Josh Collins '95 (jcollins@trinitypawling.org). Please know, however, that we will be closely monitoring this dynamic each week in ways that assess the overall health of our community as well as the state of the virus in the areas surrounding our campus. The health and safety of your son and all the residents living on campus will remain our primary responsibility.

Sincerely,