Saint James School is prepared to welcome students back to campus this fall while keeping the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff as our top priority. All students will be welcomed back for orientation on September 5 and 6 with classes beginning on September 7. Our COVID committee has been meeting regularly to plan how we will regather safely, with plans following local, State, and Federal guidelines. Dr. Carrie Adams, the Chief Quality Officer at Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown, is a member of the committee and her guidance on how to function safely will be a major asset.

Families will have the option to choose the boarding program, the day program, or to attend classes online. Boarding students will be asked to remain on campus throughout the first weeks of school to limit off-campus exposure. Students who opt to take class online will attend live classes, but classes will also be recorded for later viewing for students in distant time zones. 

Arrival dates will be staggered, and local families will be given the opportunity to drop off belongings to dorm rooms beginning in mid-August. All students and faculty will be tested for COVID-19 upon their arrival. Tests will be administered on campus by Meritus Health.

Students will be asked to complete wellness checks each morning before class. Face masks will be required for all students and staff on campus.

Hand sanitizing stations will be placed throughout campus as well as signage in bathrooms to remind students to practice proper hand hygiene. To reduce clusters around lockers, students will be asked to carry their backpacks with them throughout the day, and signs will remind students about the importance of physical distancing.

Teachers will have more sections in order to reduce the number of students in classrooms, and with the opening of the Pohanka Fine Arts Center, additional classroom space is gained by repurposing the former art and choir rooms. We are also prepared to use areas like the dance studios and the wrestling rooms as classrooms. Additional modifications will be made for dining, and we anticipate eating in shifts, with three lunch seatings and two for dinner. Details for daily chapel, such an important common experience for our community, are still being finalized. 

The Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC) has announced that the fall sports season has been canceled. We are pursuing creative ways to provide meaningful athletic opportunities for our students, focusing on team building and sport-specific skill development.

As the pandemic evolves, we will continue to monitor changing guidelines and adapt our plan as necessary to keep our community safe.

Saint James School's 178th year will be as normal as an historic health emergency permits, and as innovative as possible to focus on the education and support of our students as well as the safety of all the adults who make that education possible.

Read additional details about the School's plan at: www.stjames.edu/reopening