Winter 2021-2022 FAQs

All school activities for families, breaks, athletics, and more can be found on Solebury School’s online calendar. Families may link our calendar to their electronic calendar for automatic updates - the “How To” guide may be found here. 

Just as the state of Pennsylvania requires vaccinations against certain diseases for entrance into secondary school, Solebury School requires that our students be vaccinated against COVID-19. For the protection and safety of the Solebury School community, we are requiring proof of full CDC- or WHO-approved vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of enrollment.

There may be instances where an exemption to this requirement may be granted. Students and employees with documented medical reasons precluding vaccination, as well as those with documented, established, and sincerely long held religious beliefs that preclude receipt of a vaccination, may apply for an exemption from the vaccine requirement. Please contact Leila Crooks, Director of Health Services, or Tom Wilschutz, Head of School, for more information on the process of applying for an exemption.

Access to that information is kept to a small group of administrators and health professionals and will not be widely disclosed by the School. 

While instruction will take place on campus and in person, all students are required to have access to appropriate technology for use in classes. The brand and specifications of which are up to the student and their family and may be influenced by the technical requirements found here.

Our campus will be open to invited guests and visitors, including college admissions representatives, admissions visitors, alumni, contractors, and more. We ask them to check in at the front desk of the Main Office when they arrive on campus. Visitors are asked to wear a mask while in any indoor space on our campus. In the interest of the health and wellness of our community, we respectfully ask that all attendees of on-campus gatherings at Solebury School be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Vaccinated prospective students may visit classrooms at this time and must follow all of our health-related protocols. We will not host prospective students overnight on campus at this time.

Anyone coming to Solebury’s campus should have a mask available to them at all times and any individual is welcome to wear a mask for their protection if they choose to do so. As now recommended by federal, state, and local entities, face masks are required for students, employees, and visitors in all indoor spaces and common areas as we begin the school year. This requirement will be revisited throughout the school year. Employees are not required to wear a mask when alone in workspaces or classrooms. In addition, face masks are not required for residents in their home dormitory, which are home spaces, at this time.

We recognize the possible impact on our students as we move beyond the pandemic. We are prepared to support each student to our fullest capability. The emotional well being of our students is as important to our community as their physical well being; Julie Laing, Director of Counseling, and Bill Christy, Associate Director of Counseling, are available to our students and families for support. 

Our daily schedule for the 2021-22 school year can be found here.

Yes. At this time, students will be allowed to leave campus for approved overnight visits this year. For more details on how to request leave, please see the Residential Life Handbook (located behind the parent portal). Families are also welcome to visit their student at Solebury School and must coordinate with Leah Hall-Hansen, Dean of Residence Life.

Yes. Please limit the number of family members who enter the dormitory, wear face masks when you are in the dorm, and limit your amount of time inside the residence hall. If you have any questions, please contact Leah Hall-Hansen, Dean of Residence Life.

We will coordinate with county and state health officials to isolate infected Solebury community members according to CDC guidelines. If possible, a diagnosed student will be sent home to isolate and quarantine. If this is not possible, we will have designated on-campus isolation areas identified, separate from students with routine health care needs. If care beyond the basic management of symptoms is required, we will notify parents/guardians and transfer the student to our local Emergency Department. We will notify our community of a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 on campus and will respect and maintain the privacy of those individuals, as we would with any health concern. You can see our protocols for positive cases and close contacts here.

Because of our vaccination requirement, most students will not need to quarantine prior to their return to campus. Any student with a vaccine exemption or non-CDC or WHO-approved vaccine must coordinate their return with our Leila Crooks in our Health Office, which will necessitate a modified quarantine and COVID testing prior to dorm move-in.

Unless under quarantine by a state or local Department of Health, there is no preventive quarantine required for day students, faculty, or staff prior to their return to campus for the 2021-22 school year.

Outdoor sports practices and competitions on our campus will be mask-optional for participants and spectators. Due to the testing protocols for competitive athletes, indoor sports practices and competitions will be mask-optional for athletes and mask-required spectators. 

For athletes and spectators traveling to competitions on other sites in the Penn Jersey league - their protocols may differ from ours and will be communicated to the athletes prior to their game. For example, other schools may require mask-wearing for outdoor competitions - in that case, we will follow their protocol for that game. If you have any questions, please contact Stacie Anastasio, Director of Athletics.

Yes. Students and drivers will all wear masks for the duration of any Solebury School van rides. Windows will also be open in vans when reasonable. 

Day students are allowed to visit with boarding students at designated times in dormitory lounges; however, they are not permitted to spend the night in dormitories at this time. 

Yes. With the appropriate health-related protocols, students will be invited and encouraged to participate in the wide array of educational trips offered by the school. 

Yes, a boarding student is allowed to visit the home of a day student. The boarding student will need to submit a leave request through REACH, which generates an email to the parent of the boarding student. Once the boarding parent approves, the admin will then approve the leave. If the school has any additional questions, they may reach out to the host student and/or family.