Schools are closed due to the threat of an outbreak. Children might not have been the most vulnerable when it comes to infection, but they are super spreaders. If they live with an elderly loved one at home, it could be a risk. Hence, everyone is asked to learn from home for now. The problem is that not everyone feels comfortable with this learning platform. Children have a hard time focusing because they’re not in a classroom. Parents also don’t have a teaching background. Therefore, plans to reopen schools are being pushed. Before it happens, the schools should be made safe for everyone. If you’re involved in preparing schools for reopening, you should consider buying a big Berkey water filter.
Apart from this pandemic, there are also other illnesses that we have to protect children from. Without safe and clean drinking water, it would be a problem. You don’t want to fight another outbreak on top of another one. Water filters are effective in removing blemishes in water and make it safe for drinking. Apart from buying a water filter, these are other tips that will help you prepare schools for reopening.
Make sure it’s safe to reopen
Before you even plan to reopen, you have to make sure it’s safe. The local government should release a memo saying that you can reopen. It also comes with safety guidelines that you need to follow. However, some institutions are allowed to make a decision that will overuse the permission to reopen. If your stakeholders are against reopening, you have to set it on another date. Forcing these changes is a bad idea.
Deep clean all the areas
If you decided that the reopening will push through, you have to hire people to conduct deep cleaning. It’s been a while since the classrooms and other areas have been crowded. They need to be clean enough before children start studying. Make sure you do it days before the scheduled date of reopening so that there will be no more remnants of chemicals that might also pose a risk to students.
Increase your cleaning staff
Cleanliness should be maintained at all times in a school setting. When students come in and out of an area, you need someone to clean the place up first. You need to hire more people to maintain the entire campus and ensure cleanliness all the time.
Reduce the number of students per class
You can plan an alternative learning method that will allow social distancing in the class. An excellent idea would be to reduce the number of school days and divide each class into two. If the average number of students in a class is 20, it should be just 10 in the new setup. Each group can study for three days a week. Smaller class sizes can guarantee social distancing and prevent students from getting too close to each other.
Rethink the lesson plans
Interactive classrooms have more group activities and exercises. Students learn more when they work as a group. It’s also easier to catch their attention. The problem is that group activities won’t exercise social distancing. Teachers have to rethink the lesson plans so that students don’t have to be too close to one another. Other fun activities should be done in class. Individual quiz games or activities that require the use of online games are helpful.
The first day should be the orientation day
Students will have a hard time adjusting to these new policies. Primary school children will have an even more difficult time learning. They don’t even understand what’s going on. Therefore, before classes begin, there should be an orientation. It allows students to understand the changes and the need to do them. They will also see the impact if they violate the guidelines, including the use of masks and social distancing
Make sure the orientation is fun and easy to understand. Use animated videos to teach safety guidelines. You can also demonstrate some of the procedures. Open the floor for questions so that everyone is clear about what will happen moving forward.
Create an isolation facility
Despite all these measures, it’s still possible that someone could get infected. These children also go to other places and interact with family members back home. If someone has symptoms of the viral infection, you need to isolate the student right away. There should be an isolation facility where infected or potentially infected students can stay. Make sure the school has a medical team to attend to the needs of ill students. Call the parents right away and let them know about the symptoms. You need to have a clear protocol to prevent further infections.
Think of a backup plan
You’re lucky if you can get back to school safely. Children are already going crazy with homeschooling, and the parents feel the same way. If it’s already safe for everyone to stay in the same setting, you have to reopen. However, there’s no guarantee that things will stay that way. If someone gets infected, and the virus begins to spread, you have no choice but to close. Everyone should be isolated to avoid another outbreak.
There should be a plan on what to do with the learning process if schools have to close again. It would help if you asked your cleaning staff to disinfect the entire campus right away.
Unless there’s a vaccine, this could be the harsh reality among students. School administrators and teachers also have to be flexible to adapt to these changes. Hopefully, everything will be better, and there’s no need to close ever again. We have seen how terrible the effects are of school closure to the students, and we shouldn’t get back to it. Sure, online strategies could be made fun, but they’re not sustainable. It’s still different from being in a regular class. Some parents also don’t have the luxury to stay home all the time since they need to work. By following these safety procedures, school reopening can be safe.
