Norfolk Academy adjusted its calendar and took additional steps immediately following Holiday Break, to protect the school community as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the entire world.
After extensive deliberation and consultation with Academy's medical advisory team, the school added two COVID testing dates and three days of Distance Learning.
- Monday, January 4, became a test day for all students and employees.
- All students then entered Distance Learning on January 5-7, while the school awaited test results.
- All students with negative test results can return to classroom instruction on Friday, January 8.
- On Friday, January 8, all students and employees will test again during the school day.
The primary rationale for this plan is to have as clean a slate as possible following the break. This is the same rationale used for Academy's start to the school year in late August, Headmaster Dennis Manning said in a letter to families.
Since even before the school year began, Norfolk Academy has taken many measures to protect its community. It installed air purifiers in classrooms to improve air quality; re-designed the health clinic to increase space and capacity and increased the nursing staff; increased bus capacity and staffing; and began testing campus sewage streams for COVID viral content, to name just a few. The school also enacted a comprehensive testing program - anyone who tests positive must enter into Distance Learning, and the family must follow a physician's directions for isolation and quarantine.
Such measures take on added importance as the number of COVID cases increases rapidly in Hampton Roads, Virginia, the nation, and the world.
Please visit Norfolk Academy's COVID Updates and Resources page, which includes the school's latest updates, news for families, letters from Headmaster Dennis Manning, and more information.