As New Trier students, parents, staff, and community members, we believe that public health must be the number one priority in this time of crisis. Recently, pressure has been put on the school administration to expand the in-person component of hybrid learning. Instead of focusing on further opening the school, we should focus on these points:

1. Staff who request accommodations must be offered fully remote options. Many staff members have raised concerns about the accommodations being inadequate. Addressing these concerns may require students to participate via Zoom rather than in person. However, this is a better solution than potentially putting staff and their family members at risk, and furthering the spread of the virus.
2. During surges of COVID-19 school must remain fully remote with only special exceptions. Surges like the one we are currently experiencing put everybody in the way of danger. In these surges, only students who absolutely must be at school due to accommodations should attend in person. Students should be on this track if they have an IEP, 504 plan, are in special education, or are recommended for this track by the social work department. (This falls into the Remote and/or Building to Hybrid phases outlined on the NTHS Reopening Ladder.)
3. New Trier must have a firm, transparent commitment to metrics and thresholds which dictate the capacity of in-person learning.
   These metrics should follow the guidelines and advice put out by the Cook County Department of Health, IDPH, and CDC. If thresholds are exceeded, New Trier must immediately halt in-person learning except for those on the need-based track. The decision or advice of the medical experts on the reopening board should be strongly considered. If doctors and nurses advise against in-person learning, New Trier must transition to remote learning. 
4. Transparency and communication with the township community is a necessity.
   Information regarding decision-making from the Reopening Advisory Board meetings must be made transparent and available to all. Students and community members must be given a legitimate platform to access all meetings regarding reopenings. Recordings of these meetings or meeting minutes should be provided after the fact, providing more detailed information beyond the presentations that are currently available. 

New Trier is not immune to COVID-19, and while other schools across the county, state, and world are shutting down again, it is irresponsible to demand that teachers and students be in an unsafe environment. We cannot expect to be exempt from the effects of coronavirus, which can be life-altering or fatal.