COVID-19: Campus Lockdown Begins November 4th

October 30, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians,

At the beginning of the school year, we implemented the Lancer Relaunch Plan outlining our precautions to minimize exposure to COVID-19. SJNA added additional guidelines for cadets and students (referred to as “students” for the remainder of this document) while inside the residence halls. However, due to the recent increase of current active cases on campus, SJNA is enacting a short-term campus lockdown beginning Wednesday, November 4 through Friday, November 20. By doing so, we hope to slow the spread of the virus and send your children home in good health for mandatory Thanksgiving break.

Overarching Principles of the Lockdown Period

• Lockdown measures limit students from traveling off-campus.
• Students may transition to virtual learning during the lockdown, provided the students and their parents/guardians understand and sign the SJNA Distance Learning Contract.
• If/when students leave campus, they will not be able to re-enter campus until Sunday, November 29 (the end of the lockdown period and subsequent Thanksgiving break).
• During the lockdown, all students (virtual or in-person) will not participate in interscholastic or club sports.
• Only authorized (approved by SJNA faculty or staff) visitors may interact with students during the lockdown.
• Routine medical and dental visits are discouraged during the lockdown period.
• Faculty and staff will continue to perform their duties on-campus and follow CDC guidelines as instructed by the SJNA Human Resources Department.

Day Students

• Day students are encouraged to conduct virtual online learning from home during the lockdown period. If parents/guardians want their students to continue in-person classes, students will be required to stay on campus overnight for the duration of the lockdown period.

Boarding Students

• Boarding students are encouraged to stay on campus for all weekends during the duration of the lockdown period. If/when students return home for any weekend during the lockdown, they will be required to stay home from that weekend forward and transition to virtual learning under the SJNA Distance Learning Contract stipulations.

Newly-enrolled Students During the Lockdown Period

• On the day of arrival, a newly-enrolled student will report to the infirmary to receive a “swab” test for COVID. Resident Life Staff will ensure specific attention is given to the student for strict adherence to the SJNA COVID guidelines while the test results are pending.

Lockdown Period Protocol

SJNA faculty and staff will continue reemphasizing all existing protocols, including the importance of heeding CDC guidelines for social distancing and properly wearing masks through campus signage and verbal instruction.

• If students are found not abiding by the rules, a warning will be issued directly to the student, followed by a call to the parent/guardian by the student’s Resident Faculty Officer or Resident Advisor.
• A second offense will result in a request to the parent/guardian to arrange for their student to travel home or to another location off-campus to continue their studies in the virtual environment.
• If proper arrangements cannot be made due to close contact or COVID, the student will be relegated to quarantine or isolation. The student will not be able to attend classes in-person but will attend virtually from the student’s dorm/barracks room.

We will continue to provide on-campus activities with COVID prevention protocols for students’ enjoyment during the lockdown period.

The SJNA community’s well-being is of the highest priority. We recognize that this is a trying time and we appreciate your patience. If you have any questions about athletic games or practices, please contact Mike Fink at mfink@sjnacademies.org. If you have any other questions, please contact your student’s Resident Faculty Officer/Resident Advisor, or me, at the contact information listed below.

Sincerely,

CSM Eric David
Dean of Student Life / Commandant of Cadets
edavid@sjnacademies.org 
262-646-7129