Over the last few weeks, several schools in different parts of the world have begun to open their doors again. As they do, they have implemented new policies and procedures to keep their communities safe. Of course, every school environment has its own unique challenges that are impacted by the number of students they serve, the size of individual classes, the geographic location and prevalence of COVID-19 in the region, the health and safety resources that are readily available, and several other factors. But there are many more commonalities than differences among schools who share the goal of serving students and keeping everyone in their communities safe. Fortunately for schools who are not blazing new trails while they reinstate regular operations, there’s a lot to learn from practices now being implemented across the globe. For example, some schools have created and shared their Infectious Disease Plans. These plans have a range of initiatives from acquiring the necessary sanitizers and cleaning equipment to guidelines for the frequency of hand washing and classroom cleaning.
Prior to Crossroads reopening its doors, Crossroads will also follow a plan that will include additional training of our faculty and staff as well as new guidelines for visitors to the school. We will monitor the health of everyone in our buildings and avoid group gatherings until agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) deem it safe to have assemblies and other such events. In the meantime, DHHS guidelines will likely direct teachers to ensure that students have additional space between them during classes, and students will have minimal interactions across different grade levels. We will check temperatures of anyone who has been exposed to COVID-19, or is showing symptoms of illness in our buildings, and if directed by DHHS, we will request daily temperature checks prior to the start of the day. Students and staff who are showing symptoms of being ill in any way will be isolated from classmates and likely sent home until they are healthy, per CDC return-to-school guidelines. And as other CDC and DHHS guidelines become disseminated, we will likely follow those recommendations as well.
Of course, keeping our community healthy and safe is a collective effort. As a school, we will rely on parents to monitor their children and all family members before they leave home and when they return from school or work. For this reason, we will clearly communicate all of the necessary protocols for families to consider before sending their children to school. In addition, the faculty and staff will be particularly responsive to students who may have to miss classes because of any symptoms they may exhibit. Because our class sizes are small and our students are so well-known by their teachers, we will work with parents to provide the materials and resources students require to continue their learning should children have to miss school for any reason.
With these new protocols as well as additional screening and sanitization measures, we hope Crossroads will be among the safest and healthiest environments for children when we do reopen our campus. It is our goal to keep our students safe and also allow them to return to some semblance of normalcy at the appropriate time. I know I speak for many in our community when I say that day should not be rushed, but it also cannot come soon enough.
