A Message to the Berkeley Community from Headmaster Seivold

Good morning. I hope this note finds all readers well, and coming off a restful, stress-reducing weekend. As we embark on our fourth week of Berkeley Remote, our current iteration of the partnership Berkeley’s teachers, administrators, families, and students have enjoyed for nearly 60 years, I want to reassure you that school leadership is continuing to take a deliberate and thoughtful approach to all decisions involving the remainder of the academic year. On Saturday, the governor of the state of Florida ordered all public schools, and recommended that all private schools, remain closed for the duration. As an independent school, we are taking that recommendation under advisement, as we also continue to rely on the expertise of the Centers for Disease Control and the White House Coronavirus Task Force, most specifically the guidelines released late last week (https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/), to inform how we might move forward over the next six weeks and into the summer.

We know and understand the desire for clarity and definition. In these unprecedented times, that clarity, especially in regards to the public health situation in Tampa Bay a month or more from now, and the implications of that future state for Berkeley, remains elusive. As ever, we are keeping our students front of mind, and will continue to do so as we consider all implications and possibilities.

I wish you all a wonderful week – stay strong, and Go Bucs!