Dear Parents,
As we approach the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year and welcome students back to campus with Student Orientation next week, we would like to provide an update regarding our plans for the start of the academic year. While Louisiana and Orleans Parish have experienced some changes recently that will affect schools as we prepare to begin the school year, we are excited about this year and all it has to offer. Despite some restrictions, we plan to offer your son all of the experiences that constitute our holistic approach at Brother Martin High School to the greatest extent that we can, including spiritual formation experiences, extracurriculars, athletics, and other social aspects that are an invaluable component of the Brother Martin experience for our entire school community - students, faculty, staff, and parents.
As we mentioned in our most recent communication two weeks ago and have witnessed over the past few days, guidelines and mandates related to COVID-19 can change quickly and often. While we do expect cases of COVID-19 to continue to arise in our community as well as in our schools, we are confident that Brother Martin will continue to be a safe and secure sanctuary for all of us. As we were able to do last year, we believe we can prevent our school from becoming a source of infectious spread by being mindful of personal monitoring of symptoms, personal hygiene, distancing to the greatest extent possible, and proper facility sanitization and cleaning.
We have created the following procedures for the safe operation of our school following the mandates of the Governor’s Office, guidelines and recommendations of the Louisiana State Department of Education, and through continuing consultation and partnership with the Archdiocese of New Orleans Department of Catholic Education and Faith Formation and local health officials, including our partnership with Tulane University’s Institute of Sports Medicine and our LDH Regional Contact.
Please note the following SAFETY PROTOCOLS that will remain in place until further notice:
- Mask Mandate: Masks will be required at all times while indoors on campus. Brother Martin-issued face coverings or plain, neutral-colored face coverings (white, crimson, gold, gray, black, etc.) are acceptable. Neck gaiters will no longer be allowed on campus or at school events. It is currently required by law that masks be worn in compliance with CDC guidelines on school buses. Masks will be required when traveling on all Brother Martin school buses.
- Contact Tracing and Quarantining: Students who are close contacts of a positive COVID case will be required to quarantine if the close contact is not vaccinated. Vaccinated individuals who are close contacts are not required to quarantine according to CDC, LDH, and LDE guidance. If your son is identified as a close contact, proof of vaccination must be provided in order for him to avoid quarantining. Close contact continues to be defined as contact within six feet for 15 cumulative minutes or more within a 24 hour period. If both the positive case and the close contact were engaged in consistent and correct use of a well-fitting face mask AND were within 3 to 6 feet of each other, then the close contact does not need to quarantine.
Specific contact tracing and quarantining communication and protocols will occur among the Dean of Students, Assistant Dean of Students, and affected students and parents. For specific questions regarding contact tracing and quarantining, please contact Mr. Michael Lynn, Dean of Students, (mlynn@brothermartin.com) or Mr. Jerry Ursin, Assistant Dean of Students, (jursin@brothermartin.com).
- Daily Instruction and Learning: On-campus, in-person learning will take place every day. There is no all-virtual option. The Dean of Students, Mr. Michael Lynn (mlynn@brothermartin.com), in consultation with the Assistant Principal for Academics, Mrs. Deborah Broussard (dbroussard@brothermartin.com), must approve any circumstance that would necessitate a student attending school virtually for a limited amount of time. Such circumstances would include, but are not limited to, a COVID diagnosis, a required COVID quarantine, or significant injury or other illness that requires an extended absence from school.
- Group Sizes and Social Distancing: Group sizes are no longer prescribed in terms of a number, but consideration of maximizing distancing is still recommended. We will continue to encourage social distancing while operating at full capacity. This may affect large group gatherings on a case-by-case basis for school-wide liturgies, athletics and extracurricular activities, pep rallies, and the like. A number of areas on campus will be utilized before school, after school, and during unstructured periods to increase physical distancing to the greatest extent possible, including but not limited to the Benson Mall, Resource Centers, Library, Formation Center, the Brother Mark Thornton Terrace, the Student Services lobby, designated classrooms, and the backyard. With all of this being said, it is our goal to offer our students as many of the substantive activities and experiences as possible that are part of the culture of Brother Martin High School.
- Sanitization: We will continue to thoroughly disinfect areas of school on a regular basis and provide supplies throughout campus to ensure proper personal hygiene.
- Water Fountains: All water fountains on campus have been transformed into water bottle fill stations. It is recommended that students bring a clear, reusable bottle to school and utilize on-campus bottle fillers.
- Food Services: Lunch procedures will be adjusted in order to adhere to maximum group size and ensure physical distancing among students to the maximum extent possible. Disposable utensils and paper products will be used until further notice.
- Extracurricular Activities & LHSAA Athletics: Extracurricular and co-curricular clubs and activities will continue but may adhere to maximum group sizes, physical distance protocols, and all other safety guidelines as necessary. LHSAA Athletic activities will adhere to the recommendations put forth in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s Guidance for Opening Up High School Athletics and Activities. Spiritual Formation is at the heart of our holistic approach to instruction and evangelization at Brother Martin. School-wide liturgies, days of reflection, retreats, and the like may be modified or adapted as necessary to ensure that this formation remains central to our students’ experience at Brother Martin.
- Daily Class Schedule: We will operate on our traditional, 50-minute class schedule. The first tone will sound at 7:55 a.m., with school-wide prayer and 1st Period beginning at 8:00 a.m. The day concludes at 3:06 p.m. unless we are operating under a special schedule.
- Health Screening: While we will no longer hold initial health screenings upon arrival at school, it is critical that everyone monitor their own symptoms and stay home when there are signs of illness.
We have learned over the last 18 months that we must be willing to be flexible in order to provide the very best environment for our school community while staying true to the educational tradition of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. Clearly, there is no single way forward as we navigate through our current circumstances. However, there is a way that reflects the charism of Fr. Andre’ Coindre, the traditions of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, and the circumstances we face in our current time, place, and context. We will continue to be flexible and will communicate any updates or changes in a timely manner throughout the school year. Communication is critical to our partnership, and we will strive to ensure that we are communicating effectively with everyone in our school community. We will communicate more information as warranted, and all of these expectations will be communicated in detail with our students at each class level meeting in the first week of school.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns at any time. We thank you for your trust and partnership as we look forward to a successful 2021-2022 school year at Brother Martin High School.
