What will the school year 20/21 look like?

What will the school year 20/21 look like?

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The CDC and DHA have all laid out guidelines for schools as they make plans to re-open. Healthcare providers, who have been working in the pandemic for months, feel compelled to emphasize a few things which should be priorities to schools:

  • Re-opening plans must be more than anything else flexible and practical so that they can respond to the changing pandemic landscape quickly and effectively.
  • The plan must be inclusive.  A society is only as good as it treats its most disadvantaged citizens.  Special needs children, especially those with cognitive and social delays, must be a part of in person learning in a safe, but inclusive way.
  • All adults, and most students should be wearing a mask.  This is not and should not be a political statement: masks help decrease the spread of disease.  There are very few medical reasons to be mask exempt.  Children may express discomfort, especially those with sensory issues, but efforts should be made on the part of parents, teachers, and staff to provide comfort while enforcing mask rules.  If you can, consider purchasing masks made of different materials, colors, and thickness and allow your child to choose their favorite. 
  • All students and staff should check their temperature every morning before coming to school and stay home if it is above 37,5.
  • Incorporate outside time into the school day as much as possible since outdoor spread of the virus is much less likely. All you need is a shade tree and some carpet squares to create an outdoor classroom!  Schools should consider increasing recess time, doing PE classes outside, and allowing older students to take breaks or eat lunch outside.
  • Aim for students to be 1,5m apart while in the classroom. Adults should always maintain distance between each other, and whenever possible from students.
  • Other adults, including parents and guardians, should not be allowed to enter the school unless it is an emergency.
  • Flexible attendance policies allowing for parents to easily keep students home if they are concerned about their health.

When you become a healthcare provider you understand that there are going to be infectious hazards along your career path. Having lived through many flu seasons I can tell you that the courage it takes to work during this pandemic was already well developed in most of us. Which may be why the term “healthcare hero” is sometimes one that makes many of us uncomfortable because we truly are doing what we trained for. However, there is a new set of heroes coming who probably did not count on this when they set their career goals: teachers. It is stressful, and downright scary for many and I want educators to know that healthcare providers are here to provide support, information, and care. School administrators should strongly consider doing the following things to make teachers’ lives just a tiny bit easier so that they can accomplish this critical work.

  • Provide multiple mask/face shield options including clear panel ones for teachers who teach hearing impaired or language learner students.
  • Empower teachers to choose outdoor time when feasible.
  • Make any meetings, professional development, or other extraneous work requirements virtual.
  • Have a well-rehearsed, well-staffed plan for responding to children who become sick at school that removes them from the classroom instantly but compassionately and provides an alternative safe location for teaching during cleaning.
  • Outline very clearly what your school considers “exposed” to COVID19. 

Returning to school during a pandemic requires stubborn optimism. We need to be determined to teach, support, and move our children forward despite so many obstacles. Collaboration, communication, and flexibility are going to be critical. What we do now for our children will have ramifications forever. I have never known a group of professionals who I have more faith in than teachers, heroes for sure.