WEB EXCLUSIVE After initially announcing that in-person learning would resume on Thursday following Christmas Break, the school announced today that students will attend only remote classes through Monday, Jan. 11. 

“The fact that we will all be isolated an extra week just gives me even more faith that returning to in-person school will be done in a safe way,”  junior Jennifer Surjadi said. “One of the main factors of the delays is how many people want [COVID-19] tests, so hopefully that means everyone in the community will be equipped with negative results as well as at least a week’s worth of isolation.” 

Parents of the school received an email within the first hour of school today addressing the change in protocol. Much of the community will be utilizing the testing at school tomorrow, according to an email from President Ann Marie Krejcarek.

“We have over 800 students and adults scheduled for testing tomorrow and it is likely the results will not be back prior to the weekend,” Krejcarek wrote in the email. “It seems prudent to keep our students in a distance learning setting until those results are known.” 

Students are required to fill out a form stating they do not have any symptoms as well as have a negative test result to return to campus. Since many primarily use the testing facilities at school, the earliest possible testing date would be tomorrow, which does not guarantee results by the time of the originally scheduled return. 

“The announcement did not come as a huge surprise to me,” junior Cristina Jackson said. “This situation seems similar to the one after Thanksgiving Break, so I’m not surprised the school has taken similar steps.”

Some students feel that being in-person is more beneficial to their learning style, according to junior Jennifer Surjadi. 

“I’m a little sad because I feel like a lot of people benefit from being in person,” Surjadi said. “I understand that we need to take the proper precautions to stay safe and it’s very comforting to know that we are airing on the side of caution.”