The global Coronavirus Pandemic has been tough on school students. It will nearly be a year since schools first shut after the outbreak in March 2020. 

With most nations deciding to open schools in a phased-wise manner, it is important for the management of the institution to keep in place certain safety protocols regarding the pandemic. 

Every international organization from the World Health Organization (WHO) to UNICEF has advocated a list of guidelines to schools for safe operations post their reopening. 

In this article, we look at some of those guidelines and help functionaries at the school understand the various safety protocols that should be in place. It is true that the challenges remain, and it is important to pay crucial attention to all the processes. 

Documenting Children with the help of School Name Tags

Most educational experts are of the opinion that schools should create some form of nametags to help in the identification and documentation of students and teachers in the school. 

With social distancing norms in place, most schools are opting for staggered student entry and presence in classrooms. Having school name tags that segregate batches can help the authorities identify students and allow for the better rollout of operations and class activities. 

Everyone is in acknowledgment of the fact that no matter how beneficial online teaching was, it can never be a substitute for full physical classroom learning. Students do a lot more than just study when they come to school. 

Nametags can then come in handy to regulate extra-curricular activities as well. The attempt to normalize pre-Coronavirus levels of learning and development is what all schools should strive to attain. 

Social Distancing and other Safety Protocols that should be Followed in Schools

Experts at the WHO have routinely warned that we should not lower our guards when it comes to preparing to reopen schools during and post-Pandemic. 

The following are some of the guidelines to be followed- 

1. The actual seating space in a classroom needs to be stretched out and a distance of at least 4 feet between tables/benches needs to be maintained. 
2. Sanitization points should be located at important entry and exit points within the school premises. 
3. Temperature checks and sanitization at a school’s entry point is absolutely critical post the reopening. 
4. Students that are sick or running a temperature should immediately be shifted to an Isolation Room and the authorities are contacted immediately. 
5. Complete sanitization of doorways, staircases, classrooms, and other common areas should be done at least three times per day. 
6. Physical activities like sports and other extra-curricular should be restricted or stopped for the time being. 
7. Areas like cafeterias and canteens should have marked seating plans with space for physical distancing. 
8. Students should be enlightened about the protocols and safety guidelines at least once a week. 
9. Training programs for teachers and other staff at the school should be done by health experts at the beginning of the session. 
10. Any untoward incident, lapses, or positive cases should be alerted to the authorities rather than being brushed under the carpet.

The Bottom Line

A lot of care and concern should be paid to ensuring that safety is of paramount importance when reopening schools. It is important that everyone from the students to the teachers and other staff are aware of what is at stake and take the necessary precautions in this regard. 

It is important to have some dry-runs or trials to ensure that everyone concerned has become habituated by the safety guidelines and protocols. If you wish to know more in this regard, please write to us in the comments section below. We will try our best to answer all your queries in this regard.