McCallie School has announced that it will require all students, faculty and staff to be tested for COVID-19 before they can return to campus.
The requirement is one part of the school's preliminary plan to reopen campus this fall, according to Headmaster Lee Burns in an email sent to McCallie students and parents Wednesday.
"Every boy, along with faculty and staff, will be required to be tested for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and the antibodies that develop after a COVID-19 infection. Test information will be shared confidentially with each family and with our Health Center," according to the email.
The school, an all-boys private boarding school in Chattanooga, will have medical staff on campus starting August 1 who can conduct tests ahead of the first day of classes on August 18.
"We will not accept tests done before August 1 because it is essential that we have current health information for each school community member," Burns said in the email.
Students will continue to be tested throughout the school year if antibodies aren't present in initial tests and students will have to screen their temperatures and other symptoms daily using an online monitoring platform. Students and staff will also be required to wear face masks while on campus. Social distancing guidelines and other cleaning protocols are also outlined in the email.
Some plans are still in the preliminary stages, Burns said, as guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health experts continues to change.
"Returning to on-campus learning will require a number of steps and procedures by students, parents, faculty, and staff. It is essential to our moving forward to have firm commitment and strong partnership from everyone to act in unified and disciplined ways to protect oneself and others," Burns said.
The school has not made a decision yet on how it will approach athletics and extracurricular activities. A task force is developing recommendations for those activities with guidance from state and national athletic associations along with medical experts.
Like thousands of schools across the state and the country, McCallie moved classes online in March due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. Only a handful of international students remained on-campus for the spring semester, and most students returned to their home.
Now, school leaders are planning to reopen the school amidst the uncertainties that the fall will bring.
"We recognize and respect that some parents and students may not feel safe or comfortable in returning to campus in August. For those who feel unsafe returning to campus, we will make arrangements for students to take classes remotely and will install the necessary technological equipment over the summer to enable this," Burns said. "There is much uncertainty, but of this I am certain: we will make careful, thoughtful, and collaborative decisions based on the safety of your boys and the values of McCallie."
Contact Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.