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In this season of gratitude, I am challenged by the many examples of inhumanity and injustice reflected back to us from countless angles in the daily news cycle. Still, there is much beauty, joy, and goodness to be found in this world. One of my quiet pleasures is walking the woods and fields of Westtown's campus, and among the features of this place in all seasons–but in autumn and spring especially–is the call of Canada geese.

I hope this finds you well. I’m writing regarding the recent approval of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for children ages 5-11 years old. As you know, since August we have required that Westtown community members ages 12+ be vaccinated for COVID-19 and our vaccination rates for that age group are as follows: Faculty = 100%, All Employees = 98%, and Students 12+ years old = 93%. (Some continue to ask why–given our requirement–less than 100% of our age-eligible population is vaccinated. 

Sixteen months ago, the Westtown Board of Trustees, in coordination with the former Head of School, embarked on a fact-finding process following reports of racist behavior made on the @BlackatWesttown Instagram account. Over the last year and a half, we have listened to all of these groups. We engaged outside experts to review and investigate the @BlackatWesttown allegations, and we continue to do work in support of our current student body. That fact-finding process is now complete, and this email will update you on some of the discoveries we've made, as well as the steps we're taking to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening again.