My child’s current private day school is requiring families to sign a Health and safety contract. Most is common sense, wear mask in public, wash hands, non essential traveling ( all in regards to off campus).
However they also have
limitations on returning to movie theaters, restaurant dining, amusement parks.
Limit in person activities. Additionally, no end date or mention of new contract per county or state change of restrictions.
I have checked around at private day schools in my state (california). no such contracts.
However families also required to sign waiver of any and all liability against covid related anything.
Yes. Our private in Ohio required a detailed waiver be signed by parents if we wanted our children to attend in-person classes. If a family did not sign the waiver their children could only be remote learners; however, I suspect anyone not signing the waiver will not be invited back next year.
If you do not want to get COVID-19, you probably do not want to do indoor dining in restaurants, watch movies in a movie theater, or go to amusement parks where rides and shows (and lines to get into them) put you in close proximity with other people.
I’m glad schools make people sign a waiver. So many students ( and parents) think the rules don’t apply to them/theirs. Many students who have broken the rules have been asked to go remote until Covid is over( or next semester or whenever). If there was no BS contract, I’d bet someone would sue or worse complain and try to keep their kid there. It’s the type of situation where, if you go to a big party you are putting not only your family, but the entire community at risk.
Have a number of friends kids at various BS. Nearly all have stories about kids breaking rules and having to leave. Some are quite funny. Most kids didn’t expect to get caught. Seems like younger students are having more of an issue.
Disney World in Orlando is opened; I am sure there are others. My friend’s daughter and boyfriend went a couple of months ago, after flying from NYC to Miami and making their way up the coast with several stops!
@ucbalumnus thank you for your input, I was inquiring if other private schools had the same detailed waivers. I am aware how to care for myself an my family.
Thank you
@snowball Wow, I think I saw a FB post of my cousins who live in Orlando at Disney before it closed for the 1st time. So it re-opened. Wow. Not surprised though as much of it is outside.
@Happytimes2001 I was asking about private day schools. Schools are not open for in person classes, in our county, and neither are movie theaters, amusements parks or restaurants.
But how on earth would kids have parties at BS, without the knowledge of any staff members? My other child is at BS, they are so heavily monitored, because of covid.
Interesting…
I work at a private BS and S23 attends a different one in a different state. Both have a covid contract for day and boarding students as well as staff.
So, so easily. Staff is not awake 24/7. Nor are they everywhere. Teenagers are always looking for ways to get around the system. At least one of them will find a way that does, until they get caught.
We had to sign an agreement for both children, my oldest is at BS, and my youngest is at a local private school. For the most part, my son’s was more about waiving the school of liability and acknowledging that there is a risk sending him to school. They have also asked families to be covid cautious, but there is no actual restriction on public outings/gatherings/club sports etc. I’m not going to lie, if his school asked us to not dine at a restaurant, I would not be happy.
And yes, the Disney and Universal parks in Orlando are open.
@cityran Thank you for your input. My child in Boarding doesnt have such a specific and detailed waiver. Honestly, I’m not sure we even signed a covid release of liability for her school.
Unfortunately, the contract, for local private school (other child), is causing so much division and fear in the families who attend. Secret alliances and “code of silences” have been formed. But only with families who live in specific communities.
New incoming students are completely left out of ANY connections, and some are disappointed with their school choice at this point.
I am surprised a school can get away with this.
For those who say, “If you don’t like it leave”
How can we?
We signed school contract in February, if tuition was paid in full and you decide to leave now, no refunds. If your family receives financial aid, and decide to leave, other private schools won’t have aid available for you. Public school in area are the worst.
School contract was given in November. No in person learning and no sign of it starting anytime soon.
Wow, that sounds like a toxic situation @“Moody Monday” ! You have to sign a contract now, even though there are no in-person classes, and no start date to begin such classes?? I would imagine that it would be upsetting to know that there are “codes of silence” going on within certain groups. Although I have heard that there are such codes among public schools in our surrounding areas.
My kids attend 2 different boarding schools, one as a boarder, and one as a day student. We had to sign waivers to absolve the school of any responsibility if the kids contract covid. The schools did require that day students not participate in outside club sports, to preserve the health and safety of the communities.
As far as I know, our private day schools in the area had similar contracts to waive school responsibility if kids contracted covid. However, there are no restrictions regarding outside club sports, as I know many are still playing in their clubs. Even our public schools have continued with football, field hockey, soccer and other fall sports, as if nothing is going on. Given that private day school kids can still play club sports (and even interscholastic sports with other day schools), I doubt their contracts say anything about dining in restaurants, or going to theaters, gyms and amusement parks.
@Happytimes2001 - DisneyWorld and Universal are open (so far) - with specific hours, face coverings, social distancing and temp checks.
Personally, I am glad that some schools are asking Day students to agree to safety guidelines and restricted activities. We know students from our school who switched to Day status so that they can have freedoms that are not available to boarders. We also know parents at two schools who have secured houses/condos near campus so that their kids can be day students. $$$
There is much variability between state guidelines and schools. For example, the high school boys down here in the swamp have been playing football - no masks - and fans/parents in the stands. Up in MA, many more restrictions.
I have been very concerned about day students from our school playing outside club sports and going to tournaments/showcases/prospect camps, etc. Some almost every weekend, then returning on campus. Like it’s a game that the school allows them to play - “OK - we will pretend that we don’t know and you pretend you are not doing it”…then last week 2 students on a team tested positive. Nice.
Wow, lots of different things at happening at various schools. We are in MA and signed waivers for kids. I know that my youngest who used to be at a day school has friends and they signed a waiver also. BS parents whose kids attend day and boarding that I know at various schools have expectations as well. I think all signed a waiver of some type.
One of my younger kids BS classmates broke rules that were pretty clear putting others in the group at risk. I can think of lots of ways to break lots of rules depending on what they are. Kids usually don’t tell on other kids.
The expectation that day students will follow the rules is clear at our BS. If anyone breaks the rules they are putting the community at risk ( and some of those kids will have to travel far to get home). Have seen Covid in boarding and day kids. It’s at nearly every BS I know of in MA. Small number of cases and has been contained. No school has shut due to cases that I know of. Lots of day BS kids are still doing outside sports ( mainly club). @Golfgr8 Some schools allow this. And some of the serious athletes are still traveling out of state. Not sure how I feel about that. Many/most of the cases and scares have come from this group.
In MA, hockey seems to be the dangerous one. They closed the rinks for a few weeks. Apparently, Covid hangs around in cold air as an aerosol.
Only a short time left before Thanksgiving break. Not looking forward to online schooling until Jan. but also will be relieved in a sense. Hope everyone stays safe until the break.
@Happytimes2001
Groton has not had any student or faculty cases and no day students are breaking the rules as far as I know - meaning as far as the school rumor mill into which my son is plugged. I am pretty surprised that other schools are allowing off campus activites. Groton allows zero. It isn’t just sports that are forbidden, it is any out of school activity. Possibly because all the kids are scared to death of being kicked out of school no one is taking a chance on breaking the rules. There are several serious athletes who chose to do fall semester virtually in order to play their sport.
Hey guys, I’m pretty sure OP is talking about a local day school!
Given the fact that BSs are responsible for the health of all of their students (and faculty), and would have to care for or send home those who have covid, rules for day students at a boarding school should be very different than day students at a day school.
@one1ofeach Well, Groton is pretty tiny and has about 5 day students or less per grade right? So they have different objectives.
Still, I know that area in MA is starting to heat up. Hopefully , Groton kids will be on break by then. Some of the schools with more day students have kids out and about. Some kids have even posted on social media. I guess it depends on the school and the restrictions. Testing seems to fall into the same category with lots of variety depending on the schools assessment.
@Happytimes2001
True small school. I just continue to be surprised at the difference in rules given that we know the heads of school are talking to each other constantly. All the isl schools are in constant contact but seem to be following very different rules.
But I’d also say, if you’re right, that other BS in MA are getting positive cases maybe Groton is the one school doing it right. Although the out of school activity ban makes our lives miserable. And will likely prevent my son from playing his favorite sport in college. So it isn’t all rainbows and glitter with us.
@one1ofeach Well, IMHO I don’t think it’s a matter of doing it rightly or wrongly. It’s partially a matter of how much Covid is in that area and did/does one student./staff member get it. We’ve had a handful of cases at BS but it was stopped immediately within the community due to how the program was set up. Very thoughtful with multiple plan B’s. Still, it’s partially luck, again IMO.
If the school has a large number of day students, the kids can be doing everything to isolate and a parent in a high contact job ( doctor, nurse, police, EMT) can spread it unwillingly. O, something comes from outside the staff/kids. For example, in our school there was a cleaner/staff member who got it. Pretty impossible to protect 100%. And schools like Groton which are in low density areas are in a better situation than a school like Milton which is high density and 1/2 day. And some states have been hit harder. All factors.
I feel for your son/daughter who is an athlete. One of my kids and I were just talking about this today. My kid stopped Club level athletics in one sport about 6 months before Covid. Just too many other activities. If that was his/her “thing” that would have made the path to college very complex. Many kids will lose out on all sort of opportunities as a result of this pandemic. I’m just hoping the vaccine will start to roll out soon.