There has been no part of our lives that has not been affected by the CoronaVirus Pandemic, but it is perhaps our schools that have been impacted the most. All around the world, children found themselves stuck at home with their schools closed for months and months, and even now, there are still huge debates raging in many countries about whether or not schools are safe to reopen.
Whilst some children in particularly technologically forward thinking countries were able to study remotely, in most places, education has been hit hard. With this in mind, the pressure on schools to reopen is growing every day, but with parents unwilling to put their children at risk, schools will have to take the right steps to ensure that they are safe to open.
Whilst the effects of CoronaVirus on children are far less severe than those on older people, the risk of the virus spreading through children to their family members or teachers is still a huge issue.
To assist in the great reopening, this article is a guide to some important cleaning and organizational steps that schools need to take in order to open safely for their students and teachers alike.
1. Hire a Professional Cleaning Company
One thing that the CoronaVirus has shown is that a clean environment is extremely important when it comes to reducing the risk of viruses, bacteria and germs from spreading. Children at the best of times, especially young children, can of course become very grubby and sticky within seconds, especially if they are in a dirty environment. Now with the risk of so much danger, it is more important than ever to give children a clean environment to learn in.
The best way to do this is to call in the regular services of a professional company. There are many professional cleaning companies no matter the location of your school and you can click here to see some of the services which they can provide for your school. Professional cleaners know the best cleaning methods and have the most effective products and equipment to ensure that they implement the highest standards of hygiene during the cleaning process. They will know which industry strength disinfectants give the best results but will not put the children in any danger, which should obviously be a major priority for every school.
2. Organize Socially Distanced Classrooms
We have seen the positive effect that social distancing can have on reducing the spread of CoronaVirus. Creating socially distanced classrooms is one of the most important steps you can take to ensure that your students are safe when your school opens its doors again. The trend in education has been towards group learning with lots of socializing and peer interaction but at least for now, this approach to education may need to be altered somewhat.
The most important thing when it comes to social distancing is reducing the amount of contact between students whilst increasing their distance from each other. Use every inch of your classrooms and seperate the students with individual exam hall style desks. If your classrooms have water dispensers for the students, enforce a policy where only one student at a time can use it.
When it comes to recess and lunchtime, you don’t want the students all interacting with each other so you may need to change your usual routine. Many schools are asking students to bring in their own bag lunches or are feeding the children at their desks. Instead of going outside for recess, the students are sitting at their desks and the teachers are showing movies at the front of the classroom or students are being permitted to play games on their phones. Find high-quality school desks on this site.
3. Provide Soap and Hand Sanitizer for Students
Washing our hands properly is so important for stopping the spread of Covid-19 and all other germs and bacteria. Make sure that all the school bathrooms are fully stocked with soap and hand sanitizers and also electric hand dryers or paper towels. If your students are very young then you may need to teach them how to wash their hands properly. Medical advice is that you wash your hands with soap and hot soapy water for at least 20 seconds. Put some signs up in young children’s bathrooms with signs or pictures that tell the children exactly how to wash their hands effectively.
Getting kids back to school after the pandemic is so important but in order to do so we need to make sure that they are safe. Taking the correct steps to sanitize your school and bring in measures like social distancing in the classroom is the best way to make your school safe.