Exceptional schools must also be safe environments for our students to learn and practice their developing life skills. Students perform and learn best when free from fear induced by perceived threats. We can protect our schools through enhanced security measures and screening of all campus visitors. As we begin this fall with remote learning, our goal must be to determine the safest course of action to return to in-person instruction where our faculty genuinely shine, and students thrive. With expertise in infectious diseases and transmission, I look forward to enacting best practices in addition to state guidelines, with a high degree of vigilance to establish the Charter Oak community as a leader in health and safety to overcome the current pandemic.