Reconvening Our Community

We are grateful for the diverse group of individuals who have been involved with our COVID Scenario Planning Task Forces and who have invested countless hours in the formation of our reentry planning and design of the three models. These have included:

• Educational Task Force: Jessie Barrie(Head of School), Leslie O’Hanlon (Middle School Division Head), Spree MacDonald (Upper School Division Head), Nina Leacock (Dean of Academics), Ebony Booth (Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion), Sheryl Chard (Director of Sofia Center for Professional Development), Amy Lucero (School Registrar). 
• Risk Management Task Force (Medical and Facilities): Jessie Barrie (Head of School), Bruce Stell (Director of Facilities), Ali Dyer (HR Manager), Alyson Jefferson (School Nurse),  Sharon Boselli (School Nurse Consultant), Dan Shaw (Head of the Medical Reserves Corps), Santana Fontana, MD (Board Chair).
• Financial Task Force: Jessie Barrie (Head of School), Mary Stockavas (CFO), Ryan Hannon (Director of Enrollment & Communications), Santana Fontana, MD (Board Chair), Eric Herrera (Board Treasurer).
• Additional guidance provided by:
• Bosque Parents Association Executive Team: Mitchie Benavidez, President; Becky Branch, Co-Vice President;  Kristelle Siarza, Co-Vice President; Jenny Sandow, Secretary
• Bosque Board of Trustees Members: Mark Fidel, Lee Patchell, Rachel Gupton, Kristin Salazar-Coffman.

• Our decision has to be, first and foremost, guided by state directives and/or public health data and how effectively we can mitigate risk on our campus and for our community, while best meeting the holistic developmental, social, and academic needs of our students.
• Because a full-time, in-person instructional model is most aligned with our mission and values and most beneficial for our students, our hope is to open with the full-time, in-person model,  but we need to be prepared with the remote teaching and learning and hybrid model alternatives, should that not be possible. 
• Until the Governor’s press conference on Thursday, July 10th, our plan was to share that we would be opening in August with the full-time, in-person model of teaching, learning, and community. The sobering details shared by the Governor and the clear warning that if trends do not improve that she will have no choice but to rethink the opening of school, made us realize that it is premature to confirm any plan definitively at this point. As a state, we all have urgent work to do in the weeks to stop the spread of COVID-19. How we each respond to the urgency of this work will ultimately dictate state directives regarding school openings and which model of schooling we can implement. 
• We also would be remiss to not acknowledge that over the course of this coming school year, we may find ourselves having to implement a variety of different models in different times and ways, based on state directives and/or public health data.

• As a school, we will ultimately need to make the decision that best manifests our mission and values and meets the needs of the majority of our community, AND we will support families making the choice that feels best for their unique circumstances that could include:
• A medically unique situation for themselves or a family member
• Students or families who have to self-isolate for extended periods of time due to a potential exposure or diagnosis of COVID-19
• Families who do not feel comfortable with their child returning to campus, for any additional personal reason.
• Families can elect, at any point, to sign their child up for Model 3: Remote Teaching and Learning, regardless of which Model the school implements. Families who elect to do so will take responsibility to have their child stream into their regularly scheduled classes. There will be no tuition discounts or reimbursements for families who elect this option (please see the FAQ that explains the reasons for this). If at any point, the family changes their mind and wants to shift their child to an initiated in-person model they will need to communicate this, by email,  to their child's Division Head so a transition plan can be implemented to efficiently reintegrate the student back onto campus. 
• If you already know that due to any of the above circumstances that IF we as a school elect to implement Model 1 (Full-time, In-Person Teaching, and Learning), or Model 2 (Hybrid Teaching and Learning), that you would prefer for your child to still engage in Model 3: Remote Teaching and Learning, please use this form should you want to sign up for this option. This will aid in our planning to best support your child.  
• Your child's division head, adviser, and the student support team will coordinate a plan with you and your family to support your children streaming into their classes and any reasonable activity remotely, based on the core implemented model's schedule. 

If you would like to further discuss this decision please reach out to our school nurse Alyson Jefferson and/or your child’s Division Head (Middle School Division Head: Leslie O’Hanlon, Upper School Division Head: Spree MacDonald).

• We recognize that each of our families will have their own unique preferences for which model they think is ideal, based on a variety of personal factors. As a school, we will need to make the decision that best manifests our mission and values and meets the needs of the majority of our community. That said, we will be eager to partner with you to best support your child and family with appropriate accommodations, regardless of which model we end up launching.
• After reviewing the three models, please complete this form as soon as possible. We are interested to know what your preferential model would be, at this point, and what questions remain for you.  
• We also would be remiss to not acknowledge that over the course of this coming school year, we may find ourselves having to implement a variety of different models in different times and ways, based on state directives and/or public health data.

• Until the Governor’s press conference on Thursday, July 10th, our plan was to share, with great joy, that we would be opening in August with the full-time, in-person model of teaching, learning, and community. The sobering details revealed by the Governor,  and the clear warning that if trends do not improve that she will have no choice but to rethink the opening of schools, made it clear that it is premature to confirm any plan definitively at this point. As a state, we all have urgent work to do in the coming weeks to stop the spread of COVID-19. How we each respond to the urgency of this work will ultimately inform state directives regarding school openings and which model of teaching, learning, and community we can implement. Our hope is to open with the full-time in-person model,  but we will be prepared with the hybrid and remote alternatives, should that not be possible.  We will be closely following how COVID trends are tracking in the coming weeks and any new directives from the Governor. We will ideally be able to make our decision regarding which model we will employ to launch our school year no later than Friday, July 31st.

• Bosque is not looking to be out of alignment with reasonable public health advice or state directives. Our first goal, for all three models, is to minimize risk through adherence to COVID-19 safe practices. We will not make any decisions that violate our reasonable ability to do this. The health and wellness of our students, staffulty, and families will be core to decision making, along with grounding decisions in data and CDC and Department of Health guidelines. Based on the Governor’s sustained focus on public health and stopping the spread, we are confident that she will continue to guide our state thoughtfully in regards to her mandates.  
• As a small independent school, we have the ability to be flexible in ways that many larger public and charter schools do not. We are confident that if public health data supports the ability to offer in-person teaching, learning, and community that we may likely be able to reasonably minimize risk through adherence to COVID-19 safe practices with a full-time, in-person model, when larger public schools may not have the ability to do this. The reasons we can do this include: the manageable size of our student population, our low student to teacher ratios, the large size of our campus, our campus layout, our excellent ventilation system (including many classrooms with internal and external doors), and our newer buildings and infrastructure. For further information please refer to the FAQ “In regards to risks, what is the difference between Model 1 (Full-Time, In-Person) and Model 2 (Hybrid)?” on Model 1 and 2 pages.

ALL FORMS ARE DUE BY JULY 20th. This deadline ensures that we have ample time to audit student records and for our school nurse to have follow up conversations with parents/guardians and implement any necessary health plans prior to the first day of school. Collecting and reviewing comprehensive student medical data is one of our risk mitigation strategies of our re-entry plan. Missing forms and medical records will result in a delayed start to your child’s participation in the academic year. We are grateful for your collaboration in this important annual process (the initial letter about this process was emailed to families on 5/21 and the most recent letters sent on 6/9 and 6/22 about this process are linked here for more information).

• If you have any questions about medical records please contact our School Nurse Alyson Jefferson:
• Email: nurse@bosqueschool.org
• Phone: (505) 898-6388 X241
• Confidential Fax: 505-391-2721 (ONLY for Doctor’s Offices to fax documents)
• If you have any logistical questions about the electronic/online forms, please contact Executive Assistant Diana Schesser for assistance.

• Keep your child home. Contact the School Nurse and your child’s Division Head immediately. 

• Work with your personal physician regarding treatment, testing, and/or continued monitoring of symptoms.   
• Get tested  (see NM testing locations here)
• Stay home for 14 days after your last contact with a person who has COVID-19
• Watch for fever (100.4◦F internal), cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19
• As per CDC guidelines, if you have not had a COVID test but are assumed positive for COVID, you can return to school under the following conditions: 
• After 3 days with no fever AND
• Respiratory symptoms have improved (e.g. cough, shortness of breath) AND
• 10 days since symptoms first appeared
• Please ensure you are in direct contact with our School Nurse Alyson Jefferson to discuss your child’s return to campus.

• Your personal healthcare provider may recommend repeat COVID-19 testing. 
• Continuous communication between affected families and our school nurse will ensure that the student/staffulty can return safely to campus.
• Further return to campus guidance will come from the Department of Health and CDC.

• Immediately evacuate spaces frequented by a sick community member, ventilate the room and do a deep clean, as per CDC recommended cleaning procedures. 
• Our School Nurse will report the confirmed case to the New Mexico Department of Health and support their contact tracing procedures.
• We will adhere to CDC guidelines: [The] duration of school dismissals will be made on a case-by-case basis based on the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 and the specific situation in your community. Students and staff should be prepared for durations that could last several days. Administrators should work with their local health authorities to determine the duration of dismissals.
  

• As soon as we are aware of a suspected or confirmed COVID case within our community, we will work in partnership with our Department of Health Liaison, who is committed to providing us situation-specific guidance based on the nuances of each situation, regarding the appropriate next steps regarding communications/contact tracing. 
• Based on the specifics of the situation, we will then send an email to the community or specific people who may have had contact with the suspected or confirmed case, while maintaining confidentiality.
• We will work in partnership with the New Mexico Department of Health regarding appropriate responses  on campus (e.g. deep cleaning, potential short term closure, re-entering guidelines, etc.) 

At this point, we are awaiting final guidance from the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA)  regarding statewide decisions for fall sports. In a press conference on 7/10/20, the Governor announced that all contact sports (including soccer, football, and wrestling) have been canceled for the fall. NMAA will be releasing further guidelines regarding fall sports after July 15th and we will share updates as soon as we receive them. If you have any questions, please contact Athletic Director, Jeaney Garcia.

We ask all staffulty, students, and family to limit non-essential out of state travel and, if out of state travel is required, to follow the guidelines set forth by the New Mexico Department of Health regarding self-isolation. Do not come to campus if you should be in state-mandated/recommended self-isolation. Please let your child’s Division Head know if you will be traveling and your child will be out of school due to self-isolation so they can support them transitioning to live-streaming of classes (Middle School Division Head: Leslie O’Hanlon, Upper School Division Head: Spree MacDonald).

• Your children’s teachers will be sharing these lists in the first week of school.

The true value of a Bosque education is in the quality of education, the diversity of course offerings, the small student to teacher ratios, the commitment to and creation of community, the support of a whole-child education through extensive curriculum and programming beyond core courses, and personalized attention for our students and families. These values do not change regardless of which model we need to implement.  Even though there are some facilities savings during periods of remote teaching and learning, our primary expense, the salary and benefits for our staffulty (over 75% of our annual operating budget), continues (and has increased as we have had to hire additional staffulty to support smaller class sizes and enhanced student supervision needs connected to risk mitigation strategies). Additionally, costs for the technology, sanitizing supplies and equipment, medical supplies, and facilities modifications are exponentially higher than normal. In light of all of these realities, we will be unable to provide any tuition reimbursements over the course of the 20/21 academic year, regardless of what models of teaching, learning, and community we may need to initiate. 

We continue to accept admission applications on a space-available basis, though tuition assistance is very limited this time of year. Enrollment caps will be maintained to support our social distancing guidelines. Parents interested in admission for their child should contact Ryan Hannon, Director of Enrollment and Communications, as soon as possible.