Dear Burgundy Community,

As we enter into a spring break likely very different from what any of us had planned, I wanted to give you a couple of updates relating to our response to the pandemic we are experiencing: one on the outlook for how long our remote learning and closed campus situation may persist and a second on the School’s communications role.

First, I want to give my profound thanks, again, to our faculty and staff and to our parents who together have enabled us to pilot a first week of remote learning.  Being suddenly full-time in a remote learning environment has been hard on everyone, I suspect. But we all pivoted quickly, and there have been some real bright spots, to be sure, and some learning for the adults as well as for the children. We undoubtedly are, and will continue to be, learning all the time as we enter into new and challenging dimensions of learning and life. Also, as you know, via surveys issued by Elizabeth and Jared for middle and lower school families, respectively, we are taking feedback on the first few days of remote learning and are considering how we’ll proceed after the break, building on this past week’s experience. Thanks for participating in these surveys!  Your feedback helps us do the best work we can. We’ll communicate about the feedback after the spring break week!

Back to the updates. First, a question on so many of our minds, of course, is: “When will we return to school on campus?!” Or even, “Will we return to school this spring?” The answer to either question, honestly, is that we don’t yet know. While I personally retain hope that we will be back on campus at some point this spring, and I want this to be true, in reality it is likely it will be weeks before we could return. We don’t want to promise what we can not control, and we also are not eager to make a presumptive decision about closing for the remainder of the spring. It may not ultimately even be our decision at all. However it goes, we will continue to be in regular and timely communication. For now, I must announce that our remote learning status will continue, indefinitely, for the foreseeable future after the break, with remote learning resuming on Tuesday, April 7, after a faculty remote work day on April 6. Again, a return to school date is not determined. We will give proper notice of any change in that status.

We also want to ensure that you are aware of new health communications and reporting protocols that we intend to follow per direction from the Fairfax County Health Department. (Burgundy has an Alexandria address but operates officially in Fairfax County.) Therefore, we are instituting a change from our regular reporting procedures regarding contagious illness. In short, Burgundy during the remainder of the pandemic will not serve as a first point of contact regarding instances of the COVID-19 illness and, therefore, we will not be communicating with the Burgundy community if we learn about individual incidences of the illness among our community. This may seem wrongminded at first blush. But recognize, one, this is not our choice but a requirement, and, two, the policy also protects the school and our employees’ and parents’ and families’ confidentiality and prevents unnecessary and unproductive panic and rumor.

Therefore, if or when a case affecting our school community is identified, the health department will follow their protocol to communicate with the infected person(s) and any other persons at high-risk of infection. The health departments have the resources necessary to track people who need to be contacted, and they will do so, and they will let us know what they need from us.

The Health Department protocol for communicating COVID-19 infections to high-risk contacts is as follows:
– When a doctor suspects a symptomatic patient is infected with COVID-19, the doctor will refer the patient for testing. The doctor will provide the testing site.
– The doctor will report all positive diagnoses to the Health Department, who will contact the infected person and open a contact case investigation.
– Health Department representatives will ask the infected patient pertinent questions, for instance, about work, social interactions, and the length of their illness, to help prepare a list of high-risk individuals they may want to contact.
– High-risk individuals are considered people in close proximity, 6 feet or less, for extended periods of time. These conditions may vary on a case by case basis.
– The Health Department will call or set a process for contacting those people identified as high-risk individuals.
– The School will cooperate in this process if it is asked to do so.
– Under the Health Department’s direction, Burgundy may at this point send out a communication to specific community members if needed.
– The School also may make a decision regarding broader, general communications.

In keeping with health department recommendations Burgundy generally will not act on its own or send out communications without the specific advice or request of the Health Department.

If at any point your local health department contacts you, please follow their advice and stay at home and away from others, if instructed, while the investigation is ongoing and during the time when illness could occur. These measures will reduce the chance that infection might spread in the community.  

We appreciate your understanding regarding our following Fairfax’s protocol along with your cooperation with any such investigation, through any area health department, and your help in reducing the risk of infection to the community. If you have additional questions, please call the Fairfax County Health Department’s call center at (703) 324-7404 or your local health department. Here also is the link to Alexandria’s Health Department Coronovirus information page.

Ok! Hang in! Remember that as inconvenient and challenging as it can be, our maintaining physical distancing and following recommended health protocols in times like these can make a real difference, for ourselves, our families, and our communities! In the meantime, please know also that we continue to consider creative ways that we can sustain Burgundy’s community and also honor Burgundy traditions and continue our annual rites of passage. We will not lose all of the best of Burgundy, even if we’re in semi-hibernation for a while!

Finally, yes, there are a lot of data and opinions flowing about what may happen (our inboxes overfloweth!), but there are many unknowns, it seems. Fingers crossed that this pandemic peters out more quickly than currently predicted! Regardless, we will keep in touch. Thank you for your support! Try to enjoy a ‘spring break’ of some sort, and do something fun.

Wishing you some extra family time and laughs, rest and recreation, along with good health to you and yours. Get outdoors! We will get through this challenging time together!

Sincerely,

Jeff

PS: Stay tuned. Vini and David soon may be offering families some limited access to the Cove, on a sort of park use/use-at-your-at-your-own-risk basis.