Do you know how to prepare your schools for a Post-Covid Resumption?
There are 3 phases when preparing for school resumption:
Pre-resumption phase
Resumption phase
Post resumption phase
Pre-resumption phase
1) Fumigation and cleaning: Every school must undergo thorough cleaning and fumigation to ensure it is a SAFE space for our children
2) Staff meeting: Whether physical or virtual, staff must meet with management to discuss how several safety components will function to ensure a SAFE school e.g. hand washing, mask usage, classroom social distancing etc.
3) Hand washing plans: Do you have hand washing stations in your school or will you be using sanitizer spots? How will you ensure cross contamination does not happen? You must start to think of how learners and staff will maintain clean hands.
4) Classroom social distancing: This is the time to rethink your class size and its arrangement. Would you need to alter school schedules in order to prevent overcrowding in class?
5) Staff training: All staff must undergo training on the new standard operating procedures. Every single staff both teaching and non-teaching must receive this safety training so they can act correctly on resumption.
6) Procedure for managing identified cases: Yes, you must have a plan for this with assigned roles and responsibilities. Preparedness ensures that the likelihood of error with damaging consequences is reduced. Don't just say "God forbid", create a plan in line with NCDC protocols.
7) Communicate with parents: Parents are wary of sending their children back to school. If they do not have a choice, they will look for a school that has gone the extra mile to ensure child safety. Therefore, communicate with parents on the systems you have put in place. This will boost their confidence in your school.
I'd share the remaining parts in these series in the coming days.
