The Academy of Holy Angels President Tom Shipley has commissioned three new task forces to address initiatives at the Richfield-based school.

The academy’s summer newsletter carried an outline of Shipley’s directives for the 2020-2021 school year and how the new committees will affect the academy going forward. The first task force outlined was the School Preparedness Task Force, chaired by Chief Financial Officer David Devine.

Paramount to the task force is getting the school ready to reopen in the fall by creating procedures and protocols and looking into health considerations related to getting things up and running again. Though the committee will have to adjust as additional directives are issued from the state closer to the beginning of the school year, the task force will consider ways to optimize both the use of the available space on campus and the education plan.

Academy of Holy Angels President Tom Shipley

Heading up the Cultural Awareness Task Force will be Athletic Director Michael Kautzman, who has been charged with reviewing the campus culture and developing a plan to mitigate any identified problems related to racism.

“The task force will build on our heritage and traditions and will send a message internally and externally that Academy of Holy Angels remains strongly committed to our CSJ identity as a Catholic School,” Shipley's announcement reads.

The final task force is the Instructional Delivery and Planning Task Force, which will be chaired by Principal Heidi Foley. The purpose of this task force is to develop contingency plans in order to respond to any potential changes in the instructional environment related to COVID-19, including developing plans for in-person instruction, instruction incorporating social distancing and capacity restrictions, and instruction dependent on distance learning.

In making their recommendations, the task forces will incorporate directions from the state, the CDC and from the Archdiocese of St.Paul/Minneapolis.