1551 E. Wallings Road Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147 440-893-9585 ~ www.ccis-ohio.org
Dear Hathaway Brown Community, February 28, 2020
As you may know, Hathaway Brown is a member of the Cleveland Council of Independent Schools (CCIS) consortium. Member schools have been in recent conversations regarding the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and have been following the outbreak and the subsequently reported incidents around the globe. On behalf of the consortium of CCIS schools, please know that the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff is our top priority. This week, the CDC announced that while it is taking every possible measure to mitigate the entrance and community spread of COVID-19 in the United States, schools, organizations and corporations are advised to create plans for the possibility of an outbreak.
With that charge in mind, our CCIS schools are refining plans, together and individually, which we would put in place for continued learning should the CDC or other county health organizations recommend or mandate that our schools close in response to a COVID-19 area outbreak. It is important for all of us to be prepared and avoid panic. As an immediate response to the COVID-19 situation, some CCIS schools have canceled upcoming student exchange trips. All the schools will continue to monitor the global situation and make decisions on student travel plans accordingly.
Additionally, we recognize that some CCIS families of day schools have plans to travel overseas during the upcoming Spring Break. We encourage those families to follow the safe travel precautions as well as the guidelines to avoid nonessential travel to countries listed on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website. The CDC recommends that travelers returning from these countries spend 14 days in home quarantine, the length of time for COVID-19 symptoms to develop. This CDC recommendation has been made in order to mitigate the possible community spread of COVID-19 in the United States, as there is no vaccine or medication to treat or cure COVID-19. Should your family make the decision to travel to one of the countries on the CDC list, we urge you to heed the recommendation to keep your child(ren) at home from school for 14 days following your return. The schools will work with your family during that time to keep your child(ren) up-to-date with their studies. Note: The CCIS schools with international boarding populations in China and other geographies at risk have already communicated to their parents that their children should not travel home during Spring Break and are keeping their residence halls open during the break to accommodate these students.
Looking further ahead, should COVID-19 begin to spread in the U.S. and if our schools have to close for an extended period of time, our plan would be for academics to continue as scheduled via digital online tools and virtual classrooms. How these solutions are executed will vary depending on each school’s pedagogy and the age of the students. The administration and faculty at all of the CCIS schools are evaluating their own systems and tools to plan for a seamless integration into virtual learning if the need arises.
Andrews Osborne Academy ~ Birchwood School ~ Gilmour Academy ~ Grand River Academy ~ Hathaway Brown School ~ Hawken School ~ Hershey Montessori School ~ Lake Ridge Academy ~ Laurel School ~ Lawrence School ~ The Lillian and Betty Ratner Montessori School ~ Old Trail School ~ Ruffing Montessori School ~ University School ~ Urban Community School ~ Western Reserve Academy
1551 E. Wallings Road Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147 440-893-9585 ~ www.ccis-ohio.org
The CDC recommends reviewing and adhering to its everyday preventive actions for avoiding respiratory infections. Those preventions can be found on the CDC’s website.
We will continue to monitor news about COVID-19. Each CCIS school will continue to update its parents of its own plans should implementation of those plans be necessary.
Sincerely,
Alison McCloskey Director of CCIS Larry Goodman Head of School, Andrews Osborne Academy Charles Debelak Head of School, Birchwood School of Hawken Kathleen Kenny Head of School, Gilmour Academy Tim Oditt Head of School, Grand River Academy Fran Bisselle Head of School, Hathaway Brown D. Scott Looney Head of School, Hawken Mitch White Head of School, Lake Ridge Academy Ann V. Klotz Head of School, Laurel Douglas W. Hamilton Head of School, Lawrence Sarah Johnston Head of School, Old Trail Kathie Freer Head of School, Ruffing Montessori Michael Griffith Head of School, The Lillian and Betty Ratner Montessori School Patrick T. Gallagher Head of School, University School Tom Gill President, Urban Community School Suzanne Buck Head of School, Western Reserve Academy
Andrews Osborne Academy ~ Birchwood School ~ Gilmour Academy ~ Grand River Academy ~ Hathaway Brown School ~ Hawken School ~ Hershey Montessori School ~ Lake Ridge Academy ~ Laurel School ~ Lawrence School ~ The Lillian and Betty Ratner Montessori School ~ Old Trail School ~ Ruffing Montessori School ~ University School ~ Urban Community School ~ Western Reserve Academy