Move to Mask-Optional

2/1/2022

Dear Parents,

Our leadership team has thoroughly reviewed the most recent information regarding both the benefits and costs of student masking at this stage in the pandemic. This includes the latest health guidance for K-12 schools from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), updated CDC guidance on masking, the Governor’s Executive Order 2, as well as our own incidence of exposures and positive cases within the St. Christopher’s community since returning from the Christmas holiday.

After careful evaluation, St. Christopher’s will shift to a mask-optional policy for all students JK-12 effective this Monday, February 7.

We are making this change now, as opposed to waiting for a further decrease in cases, for the following reasons:

In K-12 schools, as of January 21, VDH recommends other mitigation efforts—vaccination, distancing, health screenings, and testing—over masking. We have followed VDH guidance carefully throughout this pandemic and will continue to do so in the weeks and months ahead.

There is now ample real-world evidence that it is highly improbable for children to experience severe negative clinical health outcomes due to Omicron.

Likewise, for fully vaccinated adults, severe negative clinical health outcomes due to Omicron are extremely rare. Our faculty and staff are 100% vaccinated and will continue to mask when indoors and not eating or drinking, due to a Virginia Department of Labor and Industry standard that requires masking for Virginia employees in areas of high transmission.

Our vaccination rate among students is extremely high and increasing each week, at 88% in our Upper School, 75% in our Middle School, and 50% in our Lower School (eligible in Grades K-5). For transparency, we are sharing grade-level vaccination rates as of today in the chart below.

Just as St. Christopher’s adopted the spirit and intent of the previous administration’s Health Commissioner’s requirement of indoor masking in Virginia K-12 schools, we believe it is important to adopt the spirit and intent of the current Executive Order making student masking optional in school settings.

Now nearly two full years into this pandemic, with many Lower School boys who have never known a “fully normal” school experience, and Middle and Upper School boys whose critical schooling years have been significantly impacted by the dual harms of COVID and COVID mitigation measures (including masking, distancing, event cancellation, and heightened general fear and anxiety), I believe it is time for St. Christopher’s to cautiously and thoughtfully re-frame our relationship with COVID.

It is increasingly clear that COVID is not leaving our lives any time soon. For nearly two years, our focus has been primarily on COVID prevention, and for good reason. Now better informed as to the actual current risk of COVID harm to our children and employees (our two most important constituent groups), it is time to freshly and objectively analyze both the benefit (in virus prevention) and the cost (social, emotional, and physical health) of our layered mitigation measures.

We are starting this Monday with a shift to a mask-optional status for children. In the weeks ahead, as case counts presumably continue to decrease, and as weather improves and allows for more outdoor activities and natural airflow within our buildings, we will slowly and thoughtfully begin to resume activities and routines that are consistent with pre-COVID activities and routines.

As has been the case since the beginning of the pandemic, we will act in a manner that is deliberate and not rushed, and we will analyze the impact of our shifts on a daily and weekly basis. If conditions call for us to resume previous COVID restrictions, we will do so, but with a burden of proof that compels us to answer clearly whether the potential harm from COVID is significant enough to justify the known cost of mitigation measures on our children.

I recognize that for some families and employees, this fresh analysis and re-framing is coming way too soon; for others it is months delayed. My hope is that we are taking this opportunity, as Omicron begins to fade, to think carefully about what matters most for our children—both their viral health and their social, emotional, and physical health. Our boys are not afforded a “re-do” of certain seminal schooling moments, and each day of COVID restrictions is a day of childhood forever altered.

I also wish to emphasize that St. Christopher’s will support each family’s choice of whether or not their son will wear a mask. Boys who continue to wear a mask—and I believe there will be many—will be supported in that choice. Boys who do not continue to wear a mask—and I believe there will be many—or who wear a mask in some moments but not in others, will be supported in that choice.

Please continue to read the following information, as we want parents to fully understand the implications of their choice to cease masking their son on campus.

While we respect and understand the decision for students who wish to wear masks, we will not place the burden on our teachers to enforce masking on behalf of parents. Understanding that parent preferences may change over time, it is not reasonable to expect our teachers to enforce individual family masking preferences over time. It will be the responsibility of the child to keep his mask on when indoors, if that is his parents’ choice.

Any student who has been infected or exposed to COVID will be required to wear a well-fitted mask through day 10. Any student returning to school from isolation or quarantine on Day 6 will be required to mask on campus for Days 6 through 10. Families opting not to mask their children under these scenarios will be required to isolate or quarantine for 10 days, per CDC and VDH quarantine guidelines.

In K-12 schools, the criteria for exposure is less than three feet for more than 15 minutes if both students are wearing masks. That definition changes to less than six feet if one or both of the students are unmasked. This increase in distance may potentially create additional classroom exposures. Unvaccinated students who choose not to mask must quarantine for five days after exposure. Vaccinated students must mask but may continue to come to school. Please review the updated COVID Exposure and Quarantine Policy (below).

Per federal order, masking is still required on all School buses, including the Sibling Shuttle, the Upper School shuttles to and from St. Catherine’s, field trips, and travel to athletic events. Any student who may ride a bus must bring a mask to School.

Employees are still required to wear masks indoors on campus unless eating or drinking, as required by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry.

So that there is consistency among the adults on our campus, we ask all parent volunteers to mask when indoors and working with our students, unless eating or drinking. Parents and family members attending events as guests and not in proximity to our students are not required to mask.

As difficult as COVID has been for all of us, one shining light over the last two years has been the unity and positivity of the Saints community. I fully recognize that there will be strongly divergent opinions over the content of this letter. For the good of the Saints community, and in order to model agreeable disagreement and civil discourse for our children, I ask that we move forward in a compassionate, civil, and respectful manner. COVID has impacted each Saints family in a unique and personal manner, and I know we will all assume the better angels in each other as we navigate these final months of the 2021-2022 school year together.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the content of this letter, I ask that you direct them to me.

With Gratitude,

Mason Lecky
Headmaster

Vaccination Rates by Grade as of 1/31/22*

*Data are based on updated Magnus student profiles. We ask all parents to please report any change to your child’s vaccination status via Magnus so that our records are accurate and can best inform School policy decisions.

Grade	% Vaccinated
12th	91%
11th	89%
10th	83%
9th	85%
8th	80%
7th	79%
6th	71%
5th	49%
4th	44%
3rd	65%
2nd	49%
1st	54%
K	50%
JK	32%

COVID EXPOSURE AND QUARANTINE POLICIES

Revised (1/21/2022) VDH Guidelines, Adapted for St. Christopher’s

If You Test Positive for COVID-19 (Isolate)

Everyone, regardless of vaccination status

If you have symptoms, count the day that your first symptom appeared as Day 0. If you do not have symptoms, count the day that you got tested as Day 0.
Stay home for Days 1 through 5.
If you have a fever, continue to stay home until your fever resolves.
If you have no symptoms or if your symptoms have resolved after 5 days, you may return to campus on Day 6. You must contact your school nurse prior to returning to campus.*
Continue to wear a mask around others for Days 6 through 10. If you are unable to consistently and correctly wear a well-fitted mask then you will need to isolate for the full 10 days at home.
Participation in Athletics and some Arts activities deemed higher risk may not resume until Day 10. Students may observe practices/games.
If you are able and willing to get tested, get tested with an antigen test on or soon after Day 5. If your test is positive, stay home until Day 10. If your test is negative, you may end your isolation after Day 5. Testing is recommended but not required.

*Returning to campus after 5 days is contingent on an individual being asymptomatic or having a significant improvement in symptoms. Students must receive approval from a member of the STC Medical Team prior to returning to School.

If You Are Exposed to Someone with COVID-19 (Monitor your health)

If you:

Have been boosted

OR
Completed the primary series of vaccine (under 18)

OR
Had COVID-19 within the last 90 days (you tested positive using a viral test)

Wear a mask around others for 10 days.

Athletic participation will be decided based on the extent of contact, especially in cases of household exposures.

On Day 5, you will need to undergo COVID testing. PCR is preferred but an antigen test will be accepted if you are unable to obtain a PCR test.

If you develop symptoms, get a test, stay home, and contact the school nurses.

If You Are Exposed to Someone with COVID-19 (Quarantine)

If you:

Are Unvaccinated

Are over 18** and completed the primary

series of recommended vaccine,

but have not received a recommended

booster shot when eligible. (**Students over 18 please contact our health staff.)

Stay home for 5 days. After that, continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days. Families opting not to mask their children for infection or post exposure days 6 through 10 will be required to isolate or quarantine for 10 days per CDC and VDH guidelines.