January 13, 2022

Dear Kroka Community,

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020 Kroka has been working vigilantly to keep our staff, students, and community safe. Our response to COVID-19 has been informed by state and local guidance and our Risk Management Committee, and is continuously evolving. True to our mission, we do not believe that these decisions should be made out of fear. We believe that transformative education in nature can continue to thrive through the year 2021 and beyond. The following protocols were adopted by the Leadership Council effective January 13, 2022.

CAMPUS VISITOR POLICIES:

The Kroka campus remains open to the public, and we invite you to visit our farm and walk the trails. Please refrain from visiting Kroka if you have had exposure, symptoms, or recent positive test results. Visitors will be asked to wear a mask while visiting indoor spaces and may be asked to take a rapid test upon arrival. Visitors and guests must comply with our Visitor Policy.

PROGRAM PARTICIPATION POLICIES:

We are working closely with the state of NH, our parent community, and our peer organizations to maintain COVID protocols for 2022 that are safe, smart, effective, and inclusive for our staff and families – while also striving to restore human connection and confidence for young people.  Here are our current protocols (which are subject to ongoing change following CDC and/or NH state or federal guidelines):

    • TESTING:  All participants must be tested for Covid-19 prior to arrival. This can be either a PCR test taken within 3 days of arrival, or a rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours of arrival.  Upon arrival to the Kroka campus, participants must present (bring paper or electronic documentation) or have uploaded (to your Kroka web portal) proof of negative test results.  After arriving at campus, Kroka will likely administer our own COVID test to students as a final screening.

 

    • VACCINATION:  Kroka encourages staff, students, and families to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  All participants must bring (or upload to your Kroka web portal) proof of vaccination status OR a completed “UNVACCINATED PARTICIPANT FORM” documenting your health and COVID history.

 

    • FACE MASKS:  We intend to create a community where staff and students can interact safely and confidently face-to-face without wearing masks when on our campus or in a wilderness setting.  However, we still require that students bring cloth face masks with them and are prepared  to wear them.  Masks may need to be worn in public spaces such as highway rest areas, public restrooms, museums, per local and state health guidelines.  Masks will also worn in the event of illness or possible COVID exposure during a program.

 

    • HEALTH: All students will be trained in Kroka’s on-campus hygiene protocols upon arrival, which includes daily health checks and frequent hand washing, as well as creating a culture of health and hygiene on the program.  Students or staff who show symptoms of illness on Kroka programs will be evacuated from the field for testing. A designated campus space will be reserved for quarantine of symptomatic students and/or staff.

CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS

We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a financial hardship for many families, and that registering for a program months in advance (and paying tuition!) is risky. We are grateful for your willingness to take this risk with us! In recognizing that there is still some remaining uncertainty about the summer, we have amended our cancellation policies for summer 2022 as follows:

  • In the event that your program is cancelled, restricted, or rescheduled to a date you cannot attend, we will refund full tuition and/or offer a tuition credit toward a future program
  • If you are unable to attend your program due to state or federal travel restrictions, family illness, positive COVID-19 test, or contact with a COVID-19 positive person, we will offer a tuition credit toward a future program less a $100 administrative fee
  • In all other circumstances, our existing cancellation and refund policies will apply

We believe that the best way to confront a crisis is in the presence of supportive and nurturing community! We believe that if we are resilient and diligent, we will come out of the current moment stronger. We will continue to take all necessary precautions and stay up to date on recommendations from our public health officials and our community as we move through the fall and beyond.

With warm thoughts and visions for the positive future,

Kroka Leadership Council

”Be like a bird, who
Halting in her flight
On a limb too slight
Feels it giving way beneath her
Yet sings, sings knowing she has wings
Yet sings, sings knowing she has wings

– Victor Hugo