Rights — Every student, teacher, or staff member should be known, valued, and cared for. This fundamental right accompanies membership in CFL’s school community. It implies we all have a right to expect both emotional and physical safety. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this means members of our community can reasonably expect a heightened level of concern for their physical health as well as their social-emotional wellbeing. While it is possible that students, teachers, or staff members will be exposed to COVID-19 in the course of their work or studies, everyone is entitled to expect that every effort and reasonable precaution will be taken to prevent this from happening.
Responsibilities — Our commitment also implies that members of our community should Know, Value, and Care for others. This means our interactions with others—friends and strangers, students and adults—should be self-aware, respectful, and courteous. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this means complying willingly with rules and policies designed to keep our community safe and healthy. This means thinking of others, appreciating that their risk tolerance might be lower than ours, and adjusting our behavior with sensitivity and respect. This means respecting policies and expectations, even when inconvenient to ourselves.
In some communities, measures taken to prevent COVID-19 infection have ignited conflicts between the liberty of individuals and perceptions of the common good. We do not expect this strife to plague CFL’s school community. Rather, we expect our respect for and sense of duty to others to be visible in myriad ways, including the following:
- How all members of our community and visitors to our campus wear masks, wash and disinfect their hands frequently, and mind physical distancing norms;
- How all members of our community and visitors to our campus follow self-screening guidelines for symptoms of illness and refrain from coming to campus when symptomatic;
- How all members of our community and visitors to our campus interact with each other in and out of the classroom, and take responsibility for maintaining a healthy environment;
- How all members of our community and visitors to our campus treat others—teachers, nurses, custodians, office administrators, maintenance staff, etc.—as people worthy of their respect and deserving of safety themselves; and
- How all members of our community and visitors to our campus comply with self-quarantine rules regarding exposure to COVID-19.
COVID-19 has disrupted life as we knew it. To navigate this unprecedented public health challenge, mutual respect, trust, and a deep sense of our reciprocal obligations to one another is essential.
