Lick-Wilmerding has changed its on-campus learning plan to reflect the increased number of coronavirus cases in the Bay Area and the new severity of safety risks.
During two town halls, held on November 30 and December 2, Head of School Eric Temple spoke with students, parents and other community members about what the coming months will look like for LWHS.
“It was a monumental task to get our campus open,” Temple said. He reported that as of November 9, 458 students had been on campus, with 45 choosing to remain at home. There was one positive COVID-19 test — an employee, not a student, contracted the virus. The person did not spread the virus to anyone in the LWHS community. In the weeks following this town hall, one other positive COVID-19 case was confirmed at LWHS.
Temple also noted that LWHS was one of the few high schools in San Francisco that was able to open its doors for in-person learning.
With the increased risk of COVID-19, the school decided that for the rest of the semester, there would only be one week of on-campus learning, exclusively for Frosh and other students with special needs officially authorized to come to school. “The time between Thanksgiving and the winter holiday was particularly challenging for schools and the Department of Public Health, given the amount of travel that people were doing,” said Temple. “We just couldn’t rely on people staying in their small pre-determined pods, so we’re lucky to even try to do anything that week.”
“We really wanted to honor the fact that [the Frosh] have never been together as a class,” Temple said, answering a community member’s question about how they decided who would get to come back to campus.
Much of the November 30 town hall was spent discussing the decision to only bring the Frosh class back to campus. Several community members expressed disappointment and confusion that Seniors would not be able to return in person until 2021. Temple faced persistent questioning from parents about how the Senior class would be prioritized next semester before their graduation in May.
Temple made it clear that he hoped no one grade would have to receive priority in 2021 and that all students who wanted to come back to campus would be able to.
Another community member asked why the school was “being so cautious.”
“Some might think we’re being cautious, others might think we’re being aggressive in what we’re doing. So the point of view can be different based on your position,” Temple said.
Temple reiterated that the most important thing for students and families to do in order for students to be allowed back on campus in January is to follow all Department of Public Health protocols. If the LWHS community is properly practicing social distancing, wearing masks and washing hands, school is much more likely to open its doors to everyone again.
