Throughout the tumultuous year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the word “pivot” has become a large part of just about everyone’s vocabulary. Companies across virtually all industries had to get creative with workarounds to stay in business and keep in contact with valuable customers, and employers had to stay nimble with work policies and schedules to keep up with ever-changing stay-at-home orders issued by the state government.
There certainly was no exception for schools, as educators and school administrators found themselves constantly having to pivot their education model back and forth from full-remote learning all the way up through safe, socially-distanced in-person class sessions, and sometimes back again. From week to week, it’s been a challenge to keep up with what the CDC recommendations are for businesses, including schools, in order to keep everyone safe.
Many schools are transitioning back to in-person learning models. However, it is absolutely crucial that teachers, principals, and other school staff members do everything they can to maintain a healthy, sanitized environment for themselves and their students. Here are some ways schools are managing to stay safe during the pandemic.
Hospital Grade Ventilation- Numerous schools have installed ventilation systems in their air conditioning and central heating units that are used to help keep hospitals free from airborne viruses and bacteria. By ensuring a well-ventilated learning space, students and teachers alike can feel more confident about attending in-person school, and parents can have peace of mind that their children are safe.
Disposable Headphones- The days of communal school supplies are over for the foreseeable future. In order to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, along with other bacteria and viruses responsible for making school-age children sick, many schools have invested in single-use school headphones for listening centers, computer labs, and more.
Enhanced Sanitizing Practices- While schools have always made it a point to keep their classrooms and common areas clean and germ-free for their students, this year carries a much more significant need to properly sanitize every classroom, every day. Using industrial-strength antiviral and antibacterial cleaning products, school custodians make sure to clean and sanitize all desks, chairs, tables, and other school furniture. Some schools have even invested in special deep-cleaning crews who arrive after school hours every evening.
School is much more than just learning lessons- for children and teens, school is where they go to interact with peers, make friends, and learn important social rules that stay with them through adulthood. By ensuring that school classrooms remain germ-free and safe, we can get kids back into their classrooms and back to their normal school schedules sooner rather than later.