Joint Statement from North American Yeshiva High School Principals

Title
Joint Statement from North American Yeshiva High School Principals
Description
This statement was sent out by SAR High School to students and their parents via email, addressing the back-to-school season. Read the full statement below:
Dear Students and Parents,

As schools have reopened, we have all been invigorated by the sense of community and meaning that they provide. While many schools successfully pivoted to remote learning, we know that in-person education provides so much more than we can deliver through Zoom.

The casual conversations in a hallway with a teacher or a classmate, the ideas discussed over lunch, the laughs shared together and the vibrancy of Torah learning as we sit together in a beit midrash are sacred and valuable.

By maintaining vigilant care for our health and safety, we aim to ensure that we keep our schools open. It is therefore critical that we do not become complacent and let our guard down as the yamim tovim approach. There are aspects of the pandemic that are not in our control but there is much that is in our control. Together, our schools, students and families can mitigate the spread of the virus and help promote our good health.

Yeshiva high schools across North America will be sharing the information below with their communities over the coming days. Together we urge all community members to adhere to the following directives:

Students may not host friends for sleepovers.
When students gather together they must always be socially distanced, masked and outdoors and never in large groups. Parents must provide constant supervision. We have seen that although it is not natural for students to socially distance, when reminded to do so, they comply.
Students must remain in their home communities throughout the yamim tovim, including Simchat Torah. There will be no communal gatherings for high school students on Simchat Torah.
Anyone under quarantine, even precautionary, may not leave the home, may not get together with friends, and the family may not host social gatherings, even outdoors.
Meals that include guests from other families must only be held outdoors and socially distanced.
These guidelines apply for all community members, even those who have developed antibodies.
We are grateful for your partnership as we work together to ensure a safe and vibrant environment of learning for our children. With wishes for a כתיבה וחתימה טובה, a year of good health and blessing for all.

Sincerely,
[North American Yeshiva High School Principals]
Date Created
September 16, 2020
Community
North American Yeshiva High Schools
Genre
Joint Statement
Language
English
Hebrew