HAMPTON ROADS — The Chesapeake Bay Foundation(CBF) has announced that their Outdoor Education Program is set to restart this Fall.
The outdoor class program was previously suspended in March 2020 around the time when the COVID pandemic began.
With this brand new restart, the CBF has mentioned that they will be taking several steps to protect the health of students and educators as outdoor education programs resume this fall. CBF will be requiring all their students to undergo a health check 24 hours in advance, before attending a day program, in addition to wearing maks when social distancing isn’t possible.
Additionally, CBF has ensured that all their educators have received the COVID vaccine to help protect the safety of their own health as well as their students.
“Our education program’s mantra has always been to ‘learn outside,’ so we’re thrilled to get back on the Bay as well as the watershed’s rivers and trails to teach, learn, and explore with students in person,” said Tom Ackerman, CBF’s Vice President of Education. “We are eager to make up for the opportunities students have missed with us during the last 18 months. However, our priority has always been the health of our participants.”
This will be the first time the program has resumed since the pandemic began. As a result, CBF is requiring all students who participate in their residential programs to be vaccinated before that stay overnight at CBF facilities such as Smith Island or the Karen Noonan Center on the Eastern Shore. At these centers, students will be required to wear masks when indoors.
Those who are interested in the CFB outdoor program can visit CFB’s official website for more information.
