PRECAUTION FOR SCHOOLS/COLLEGES DURING COVID 19

  SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, TEACHERS AND STAFF

Ensure safe school operations

See 'Clean School Environments checklist' below   

The school emergency and response plans are being revised or created. Operation for school administrators is not used as shelters, recovery centers, etc. Suggest cancelling events / meetings that usually exist at schools on the basis of risk.

Strengthen daily washing and sanitation and supply the required. Prepare and maintain soap and water washing stations and put alcoholic hand-based sanitizers in each classroom, entry and exit, and near lunch-rooms and toilets if possible.Cleaning and disinfecting school, classrooms and water and wastewater services.

Establish procedures if students or staff become unwell

Prepare ahead with local health authorities, school health workers and refresh the contact lists for emergencies. Depending on the situation, students / workers may need to be referred directly to a health facility or sent home. Share plans ahead of time with the staff, parents and students.

 

Promote information sharing    

The regional health and education authorities formulate and follow guidelines. Share documented information with teachers, parents , and students, including current details on the illness situation, including school attempts to avoid and monitor it. Reinforce the need for caregivers to alert school and health care authorities if someone has been diagnosed with COVID-19 in their home and keep their child at home. Using parent-teacher committees and other structures to facilitate the exchange of knowledge. Be sure to also answer children's questions and concerns, including by creating child-friendly resources such as posters that can be put on notice boards and in toilets.

Adapt school policies where appropriate

Create flexible attendance and sick leave policies which allow students and staff to stay at home when sick or caring for members of the sick family. Discourage the use of awards and bonuses for perfect attendance. Identify essential work roles and places, and by cross-training workers prepare for alternate coverage. Plan for potential changes to the academic calendar, particularly in respect of breaks and exams.

 

Monitor school attendance    

Implement school absenteeism tracking systems to track absence of students and staff, and correlate with normal school absenteeism trends. Warning local health officials regarding significant rises in absenteeism of students and staff due to respiratory illness.

Implement targeted health education  

Integrate prevention and management of illness into the everyday practices and lessons. Ensure content is sensitive to age , gender , ethnicity and disability and events are integrated into existing topics. 

Address Mental Health/Psychological support needs

Encourage the children to address their thoughts and questions. Explain it is natural that if they have any questions or concerns, they can encounter different reactions and encourage them to speak to teachers. Provide details frankly and in an age-appropriate way. Direct students on helping friends and preventing isolation and bullying. Ensure teachers are mindful for their own well-being of the local opportunities. Work alongside health workers / social workers in schools to recognize and assist students and staff who display signs of distress.

 

Support vulnerable populations     

Consult with social care agencies to ensure continuity of essential services that may occur in classrooms, such as wellness screenings, nutrition programs or special needs interventions for children. Remember the unique needs of children with disabilities, and how the disease or its side effects may have a more serious impact on vulnerable communities. Examine any specific consequences for girls that may increase their risk, such as responsibility for caring for the sick at home, or abuse while out of school.