Community Update: Vaccination Survey Results Posted on August 2, 2021 in Press Releases, Student News Community Update: Returning to Full-Time, In-Person Instruction Dear Prep Community, We hope you’ve had a summer of renewal, family, and fun! Though it seems our summer break just began, we will return for the fall semester in less than one month. Our planning for the 2021-22 academic year is nearly complete and we very much look forward to seeing our students and kicking off what we expect will be an exciting new year. As we have noted throughout the spring and early summer, we plan to provide traditional, full-time, in-person instruction when we begin the semester on Wednesday, August 25. We will not offer classes via either synchronous or asynchronous Zoom, marking a return to pre-pandemic instruction. We continue to closely monitor pandemic conditions and are prepared to adapt our plans if necessary or required. However, as of now, we remain on course to open traditionally and expect to do so. Vaccination Survey Results In late June, we surveyed families of all current and new Prep students to better understand our school-wide vaccination rate and to assist and inform our return planning for the fall. We are happy to report that we had a tremendous survey response. We now know the vaccination status of more than 90% of our students, a threshold that allows us to make decisions more confidently. Key survey findings: In total, 85% of Prep students in grades 6 to 12 are or will be vaccinated by the end of August (a figure based on survey respondents). Among only those students eligible for vaccination (those aged 12 and older), 92% are or will be vaccinated by the first day of classes. Vaccination rates among Prep students are approximately double the rate for all young people in Minnesota aged 12 to 17. According to Minnesota Department of Health data reported this week, fewer than half of all 16- and 17-year-old Minnesotans, and only one-third of those aged 12 to 15, thus far have been vaccinated for COVID. Combined with vaccination data for our faculty and staff, 93% of all age-eligible students, faculty, and staff are or will be vaccinated by the beginning of classes this fall. We are deeply grateful to our families, faculty, and staff for the steps they have taken to help us provide a safe and healthy school experience. We will use this data to evaluate CDC and Minnesota Department of Health recommendations regarding health and safety practices at schools and to shape our own action plan for the fall. You can expect to receive an update from us detailing our safety plan by the end of next week. We hope you enjoy the remaining days of summer. We look forward to seeing our students and families in just a few weeks! As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. With gratitude, Jon McGee Head of School Dr. Christine Glomski Principal
