The Island School at Cape Eleuthera, informed today, Monday, March 16th, 2020, that their leadership team had taken the decision to send their Spring 2020 students to their respective homes, with all students expected to have departed the island by Monday evening. See the full communication below:
“Dear Island School Friends and Families,
As you are well aware, these past several days have been increasingly unprecedented and have required all of us to plan for growing uncertainty. Over the last week, we closely tracked the progress of COVID-19 and the global response to it with the health and safety of our students and our wider community at the forefront of our minds.
Faced with the continued escalation both within The Bahamas and abroad, and with the support of the leadership team on the ground in Eleuthera, I have taken the almost impossible decision to send the Spring 2020 students home. As a school that prioritizes experiential, place-based learning, please know that this decision came after considering all alternative options.
All Island School students departed Rock Sound today and will be returning to their homes by tonight. Our decision took into account the uncertainties of the rapidly evolving global response measures and their impact on our ability to safely respond to the fundamental needs of the Cape Eleuthera Island School community.
This was an extremely difficult decision to make and the resounding heartbreak we are feeling – students, parents, faculty and staff – is overwhelming. Our hearts are heavy for Spring 2020 but we are filled with pride for how this fantastic group of Island School students handled this truly unprecedented situation.
In the days and weeks to come, we will continue to monitor the global landscape and make decisions on how to best support Spring 2020, any upcoming programs, and our CEIS community as a whole, including DCMS, CSD, CEI, Outreach and ELC. With so many outcomes unknown, we will continue to make decisions with our students and community’s health and safety as the primary priority.
We appreciate your continued support and trust in our team here to make these very difficult decisions and we thank everyone who has supported us through these unprecedented times. It is in moments like this that I realize just how strong a community we have through The Island School and it firms my belief that we will weather this proverbial storm and come out stronger and more unified.
All the very best,
Edd Brooks
Chief Executive Officer – The Cape Eleuthera Island School”
