Daniel Richard | Principal, St. Raphael Academy
1. St. Raphael Academy was thrust into the national spotlight just as the coronavirus was starting to hit the U.S. How did that attention and scrutiny impact your ability to lead during a time of crisis? I think being the first school in our area going through this challenge strengthened us to set the right example as a school community. The school’s leadership went to great lengths to ensure we were transparent and effective when communicating with all SRA stakeholders.
2. Some parents criticized the school for not notifying students earlier about its first presumptive positive cases. What, if anything, would you do differently about communicating with parents, students and staff? I appreciate how important it is to communicate with parents, students and staff, and looking back, I think we took the right steps to share verified information as quickly and proactively as possible. As soon we were notified by the [R.I. Department of Health] of the presumptive positive, we immediately acted. Within hours, after consultation with the RIDOH and the governor’s office, we notified our community members and made the decision to initiate virtual learning.
3. What has been the hardest part of managing and responding to the coronavirus impact? The hardest part has been dealing with misinformation and fear that circulated outside the Saints community. Another challenge was helping people understand requirements to maintain confidentiality of individuals involved.
4. St. Ray’s had been using virtual learning before the crisis. How did this make the transition easier? Our students had practiced virtual learning several days a year since 2016. All our students are issued a computer for four years and are very comfortable completing student work electronically.
5. How does being a parochial versus public school, and therefore more able to make independent decisions, affect your ability to respond in this crisis? I think being a private school allowed us to make quicker decisions while still being in constant contact with Diocese of Providence leadership. I also think being a Catholic school of faith made all the difference in the world. One of our staff members spent many days in the hospital and I am convinced the prayers he received from our community anchored and aided his recovery process. Our students also focused on the community and not on themselves; their adherence to a two-week self-quarantine led to no community spread.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Lavin@PBN.com.
