The Classical Christian Conservatory of Alexandria (CCCA) in Virginia, a K-8 private Christian school, has taken an opposing stance against the prevailing COVID guidelines being implemented in most public schools across the country today, especially amidst the spread of the coronavirus' Omicron variant. The school said it will begin to return to its pre-COVID health policies.
WND reported that CCCA founder and head Allison Morgan, told parents of students at the school that the conservatory will no longer tolerate "disruptive, rolling classroom shutdowns." She added that the school "cannot allow the success of our mission to be contingent upon the ebb and flow of this virus."
Morgan's message said that the changes will take effect upon the school's return following Christmas break, underscoring how they will be "reverting to our pre-COVID health policy" and that COVID cases "will be treated as equivalent to all other illnesses for the purposes of school attendance." The CCCA head assured parents that the school has "all the mitigation tools necessary to reclaim our normal lives" after two years of "intensive focus on COVID as a special case deserving of special attention."
According to the Daily Wire, Morgan explained in the message that the school's decision to revert back to pre-COVID policies was a "conscious choice" made with the full knowledge that COVID is still circulating in the state and the rest of the country. She argued however, that they can no longer "forego the higher aims of a Christian, classical education indefinitely" because of the shutdowns.
Morgan added that the conservatory is committed to "modeling the balance of prudence and resilience" in order to move past the "crisis phase of COVID." She also encouraged parents to adhere to their pre-COVID policies, as they "intend to enforce it" in the coming year.
TV personality Megyn Kelly took to Twitter to applaud Morgan's decision to revert to pre-COVID policies, writing, "This is perfection!! Good for them & for [Allison Morgan]"
Deseret writer Bethany S. Mandel also took to Twitter to share, "This must be the message rolling forward. Good for this school."
This must be the message rolling forward. Good for this school. pic.twitter.com/PMeqnTjx8i
"” Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) December 30, 2021
CCCA is Alexandria, Virginia's first hybrid-model education program, in which students meet for classroom instruction and tutoring on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and learn from home on Mondays and Thursdays, unlike most public and private schools across the U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said last month that students who have been exposed to COVID may continue face to face learning as long as they are regularly tested for the virus at school to avoid disruptive quarantine periods, the Washington Post reported in December. The CDC adapted what is known as "test-to-stay," which CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said "works to keep unvaccinated children in school safely."
However, Omicron poses a threat to school aged children, as ABC News reported that there were almost 200,000 American children who tested positive for COVID last week. This is a 50% increase since the start of December, a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association. In addition, pediatric hospitalizations due to COVID had also risen.
