HPA ​to​ ​suspend​ ​face​-​to​-​face​ ​classes following​ ​spring​ ​break

Hawaii Preparatory Academy announced Friday that all face-to-face classes would be canceled following spring break.

“HPA’s top priority is the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and the Hawaii Island community as a whole. We have been assessing the rapidly escalating COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation and that has resulted in swiftly changing circumstances on our campus,” a press release from the K-12 private school in Waimea said.

The school said it has no reason to “believe that anyone on our campus has contracted the virus,” but is taking the precautionary and proactive measure to deal with what the World Health Organization has dubbed a global pandemic.

For the two weeks following spring break, the school is suspending face-to-face classes and will move to distance learning.

Remote classes will begin on April 1. If experts recommend that gathering in large groups is safe again, regular classes will resume on April 15.

“Although any change will be based on the information and recommendations gathered to keep our community as safe and healthy as possible,” the release read.

“We do not take this decision lightly and we are committed to providing high-quality instruction moving forward,” HPA Head of School Patrick J. Phillips said. “While the social aspect of school is an important part of every child’s experience, we are confident that we can deliver a strong academic program because we know that we have outstanding teachers who truly care for our students. We look forward to the day when we can resume classes as usual, and we know that we will be stronger and more connected for having carried on through this global pandemic.”

HPA will be following up with more information as we continue to assess this fluid situation.