Students Petition against COVID-19 Protocol; Academy Responds

By: Anvi Bhate, Ellie Ana Sperantsas, Kendra Wang, Catherine Wu

On Jan. 10, Principal William Rawson provided updates on the procedures for students who contract COVID-19: families needed to identify a “COVID Pick-up Designee” who could be contacted immediately if a student tests positive and collect the student within 24 hours of notification. 

In response to the updated protocols and the return to in-person instructions, seniors Lekha Masoudi, Alana Reale, and Emily Wang wrote a petition outlining their concerns with the updated policies, highlighting the impracticality of the pick-up procedure for low-income and international students, as well as their concerns with the “hurried” return to in-person classes without a hybrid option.

“We, as a group of students, are frustrated, angry, and scared at how Exeter has handled the COVID situation that we are facing,” Masoudi, Reale, and Wang wrote in the petition. “We feel that the approach that [the Academy] has taken is exclusive, ableist, and unsafe. It feels like the administration has lost their regard for student well-being and continues to act with a lack of transparency.” As of Jan. 26, the petition received 80 signatures.

Dean of Students Russell Weatherspoon followed up with student concerns on Jan. 11 at a Student Council meeting and in his email on Jan. 15. Weatherspoon stressed the Academy’s flexibility on working with students who have contracted the virus, and a decreasing trend of COVID infections on campus that will serve the community well in returning to in-person classes.

On Jan. 12, Rawson issued a response to Masoudi, Reale, and Wang, assuring that “the decision to resume in-person classes and open up other activities on a selective basis has been made carefully and deliberately in consultation with our medical director and outside infectious disease expert.”

“We realize the pace of decision-making can be confusing and unsettling. I assure you: each decision reflects careful consideration of the physical and mental health of all students,” Rawson continued.

“I talk to peer schools frequently about COVID protocols and have done so throughout the course of the pandemic,” Rawson shared in an interview with The Exonian. In this most recent phase, we have tended to be a little more cautious than our peer schools, in that we have taken longer to resume in person classes and have been slower to relax some restrictions.  We also have continued surveillance testing longer than some of our peer schools.  We have made the decisions that we believe have been best for our school community.”

“While I understand perspectives and comfort levels may vary, overall I think the transition to in-person instruction has gone well,” Rawson continued. “The number of positive cases has declined significantly as we have made the transition and opened up more opportunities for student activities, and cases have been either mild or asymptomatic.  As we have from the beginning, we seek to protect the health and safety of the entire community while preserving as much of the student experience as possible under current conditions.”

“We have no control over the policies of other countries, but appreciate the concerns of our international students," Rawson added. "Our protocols and testing programs are intended to be protective of them and all students. We are reserving Grainger to accommodate any students who want a supervised and more distanced campus dining space.  We also appreciate the efforts of students to protect themselves and each other through consistent mask wearing and following other COVID protocols.”

“As we have from the beginning, we seek to protect the health and safety of the entire community while preserving as much of the student experience as possible under current conditions,” Rawson concluded in his email to Masoudi, Reale and Wang.  

The student initiators of the petition, however, shared their motivations for organizing the petition. “It was born out of very genuine concerns. It was kind of spontaneous. The three of us and a couple of other friends were discussing concerns we had and had the idea to start compiling them and maybe getting other student input. And then it seemed possible to actually present it to some higher-ups and make something actually happen.” Reale noted.

For Reale, the Academy’s established protocols were unresponsive to the rising COVID cases upon return. “We were starting out with people already in quarantine or with people already infected. People were already missing out on classes. I think how the Academy responded showed that the school was already expecting this to happen to people. That’s insensitive and inconsiderate for anyone who isn't part of the majority of students who are able to attend classes.”

“I feel like the plan was not really created with international students in mind and domestic students who have to fly to get to Exeter. I live a four to five-hour flight [away] and I don't really see how my parents could just take time out of their schedules to fly and like pick me up. I think for low-income students as well, there weren't really plans about equity,” Masoudi said.

“I have friends who have suffered from the long-term effects of COVID, and it felt like people were being very disrespectful, very selfish, and not really caring about not only about the impacts on people our age with COVID, but in general, people with comorbidities… It doesn't impact a lot of people, but anyone who gets seriously sick is like one person too many, which I feel like people didn't care about,” Masoudi continued.

Wang appreciated the comprehensive information Principal Rawson sent out in a later email while she was generally unsatisfied with the Academy’s response. “We want an option for students who don't wanna risk it. I don't think that the school should have a say in the level of risk I choose to take myself. We want more transparency in the decision-making process, some of which we achieved when Principal Rawson sent out more transparent emails.” Wang said.

However, Masoudi felt that the Academy could have done more to acknowledge or respond to student concerns. “I was pretty disappointed. I appreciate that they did take the time to read our email, but I think that might be a little bit of the bare minimum besides sending out more briefings, there weren't any actual changes taken into consideration,” Masoudi said.

The petition initiators offered suggestions for improving the current COVID policies, including a streamlined way for students or parents to give feedback. "I think the school could avoid a lot of bad press if they opened up channels for feedback before things got to such a drastic point. Maybe there is some system that's put in place that I'm not aware of, but if there is, it needs to be better advertised because I don't know about it and nobody I know knows about it,” Masoudi said.

Wang echoed the idea of establishing a student feedback system. “Perhaps it could function as a way for students to communicate with one another about issues and concerns because I definitely think that there needs to be more open communication between the decision-makers and those of us impacted… I think that if there was more understanding then this sort of thing wouldn't happen as much. And I think that kind of comes from a willingness of students to listen, engage, and also better communication channels that can be facilitated.”

Prep Chloe Richards, a signatory of the petition, is in favor of giving students an option to choose whether or not to put themselves at risk. “At this point, stress has definitely decreased because our cases are so low, but I'm just not sure it was worth all the stress from the past few weeks,” Richards said.

“I feel like we should’ve had the hybrid option, given so many people were already online - whether they were in a hotel, had COVID, or had a personal situation,” Richards added. “I just think it isn’t that easy for many people and their families to be able to act in such a short time.” Richards continued.

Lower Freya Busser also explained her reasons for signing the petition. “I signed it because I believed in it and the people behind it. I don’t regret signing it because even though it had no physical effect, that message has been brought to Exeter’s attention and they know about it. It was at the very least, released and seen.”

Other students who resonated with the petition’s grievances felt that the petition lacked in publicity and formality. “I did not sign the petition because I was not aware that there was a formal petition, and I had only heard about it,” upper Abegail Byun said. “I think it was a good idea because the policies were clearly unrealistic and very challenging given the circumstances of COVID and the number of international students that make up our student body. It was unfair,” Byun continued.

In addressing some of the student and faculty criticisms against the petition, Reale asked the community to understand and appreciate student-organized petitions with an open mind. “Since writing the letter and in considering all of the negative feedback we’ve received, I’ve thought a lot about how we could have presented it more nicely so that maybe more people will feel more inclined to listen. But in rereading, I feel that we really tried to be coherent, respectful, and diplomatic. I really would just love to see some more empathy and more demonstration of our listening skills from our community,” Reale concluded.