A major issue is that PA SEEMS to have lost sight of the primary goal of any school: the well-being of the students. I say “seems” because we truly believe that this is not the intention. Yet, it is the reality of the current situation.
Come this March, our upper boarder will have spent a full-year (minus five weeks) learning through a computer alone in our house. Because they attend boarding school, they do not have a significant social group in place at home and do not participate in sports at home. Any friends they do have at home are attending in-person classes at our local public and private schools or have returned to their boarding schools.
The social isolation issues are real. This is not healthy for anyone but especially for high school students. We are hearing that Andover students are suffering from depression, low motivation, loneliness and an overall feeling of despair. While this suffering may be universal because of the pandemic, we know of no other high school students (other than Andover students) who have spent almost a full year (not voluntarily) learning remotely.
The reason so many Andover parents and students are frustrated is because students and by extension their families have not been involved in any of the discussions about how to best meet the needs of ALL constituencies this academic year. After the disaster of last spring, administrators spent a lot of time during the late summer trying to convince the parent-body that they had a viable plan in place. Lowers and Uppers were offered the opportunity spend five weeks on campus during the fall. Even though classes were still remote and students attended via zoom from their dorm rooms, students who went back were content to be with their friends and abided faithfully with the safety precautions in place. (Seniors have been back on campus for most of the year so they may not feel the same pain as their classmates.)
Without warning, toward the end of the fall term, PA announced a changed plan for winter term. All students except for seniors would remain at home for the entire term. Seniors could opt to spend five weeks on campus. Again, this change was made without any parent input. The first opportunity for parents to openly express their concerns about the way Andover has handled this situation came just this week in the form of a parent zoom focus group organized by the parent association. Sadly, that meeting apparently began with the reading of an administration statement that there would be no changes to the plans. One wonders why PA even bothered to consult parents if they did not plan to change course. Peer schools have held town halls and parents meetings throughout this academic year (involving the heads of school) and included families in the planning process.
Additionally, PA’s policies are not in accordance with the SCIENCE. Indeed, the CDC has spoken on this subject and said that students belong in school. Schools across the USA, including every one of Andover’s peer schools, have brought students to campus this winter. Our student shares that friends at peer schools report that their schools have erected outdoor dining pavilions, have added to their faculty with younger faculty to teach in person classes and have offered housing to day students so that they in effect create “a bubble” around the campus. Andover has the resources to create a safe environment on campus, even during the winter. It should have done so and and its failure to do so is disappointing.
Looking ahead, Andover should prepare itself to bring ALL students back for the ENTIRE spring term. They should offer as many in person classes as they can and allow in-person extracurriculars including sports and clubs (following medical and scientific safety guidelines.) Failure to do so will show a complete abdication of the duty they owe to the students.
Andover is a great school. The quality of the education is exemplary. The people (students, faculty and staff) are special. We are hopeful that PA will course-correct now and salvage the rest of this academic year.