It’s the end of August and we are quickly approaching the Fall semester. You know what that means… it’s back to school season!
Or at least it should be.
But with 2020 throwing us a curve ball every which way we turn, back to school this year will look a lot different then years passed.
What should have been the remaining weeks of summer filled with exciting kiddos getting new notebooks, awesome outfits, and sharpening their pencils, has relinquished into a sense of utter fear and anxiety for many families across the world.
And whether, we like it or not September 2020 is knocking on our door, and it’s time to make the tough decision… do you send your child back to in person classes or continue with remote learning for the Fall semester while COVID 19 is still creating fear in many places?
Townships and school boards across the country have taken it upon themselves to determine if their school year will begin all in person, all remote learning, or provide a half and half option. And if you’re following the headlines, many schools who preliminarily said they would be starting the school year off in person, have pushed back and recanted. Many are now saying they will begin with all remote learning.
The fear and anxiety is real. But there is one thing to keep in mind, the only way to deal with fear and anxiety is to overcome it. And for many families there is no other choice. The kids of service providers who rely on school organizations, day camps, etc. have all been waiting for this day. In addition, the kids of medical providers and workers don’t have the option of their parents not going to work either.
As you can see for many families, the decision has already been made. So it is very important that we enter the new school year with positivity, a healthy mindset, and preparation with regards of what to expect if we’re going to tackle this beast of a year.
And that’s what this post will be all about! If your child is returning to in person classes here are a few key things you will be seeing and a few important items you need to do yourself as well.
(And just to keep in mind, I am an educator who is also returning to work in just four short days in NYC to all in person full day classes. I’m not hiding behind a computer pretending to know your anxieties. I get it. I’m there with you so let’s take that leap together.)
*The Part Schools Play
Since the beginning of summer school boards have been provided with all new mandatory regulations and policies by the Department of Health (from here on will be noted as DOH). These must be put in place prior to opening and must be followed each and every single day.
And I do not mean one measly email we all received with a list of to do’s. I mean tens and tens of emails with new protocols, changing protocols, newly required forms, added check lists, newly mandated paperwork for all schools, employees, and students. This also includes new vaccine records, stricter sick policies, and no room for error. At All.
I’m sure you can see why then school administrations and their teaching staffs have been at odds in the recent months. There is so much information coming in, so many new regulations that if mistaken once it could lead to a school wide shut down. Teachers are just not ready to manage a full class of kids with all the new regulations that never seem to stop changing and that responsibility in addition to working during a pandemic can be extremely overwhelming.
However, I’m a bit luckier as my school is quite the micro preschool and working with the staff is one of our strongest suits and much more manageable when it’s quite tiny. But even for myself working with less than a handful of teachers, I have still needed to study all the new regulations every single day for months on end to help train my teachers properly.
Believe me in saying, at least for my school, there has not been a day where the new regulations have not been studied, addressed in some manner, and practiced. We actually just had an entire staff training day on specifically DOH protocols where we physically went through the regular routines of the day with the newly added rules.
I am assuming that other school administrations are doing the same. The work is being done, and there have been months of planning and prepping to help make schools as safe as possible while allowing for the learning to actually occur.
Now to be fair, a lot of the new regulations that the DOH has passed can be seen as more of a liability tactic than actual implementation goals. But regardless, on the teaching staff side, we have been whipping ourselves into shape to follow them to a T.
I am sure that your school districts have already discussed some of these new regulations with you. If they have not communicated them in some form already I would immediately contact your school principal. But just to give you and idea:
- Masks are required by all staff at all times.
- Students of a certain age are also required to wear masks while on school premises. Younger students of a certain age are not mandated.
- All personnel entering school are to be minimized to just the absolute necessity.
- Daily health screenings are to be conducted for every student including a temperature reading.
- Daily health questionnaires are to be completed.
- A cleaning log must be filled out to increase the amount of sanitization.
- New sanitization stations must be setup around the school to allow for increased hygiene.
- Teaching staff are not to congregate in groups.
- Students are to remain in static groups with reduced interaction as well.
- Teaching staff are recommend to wear their hair up and loose clothing.
- Teaching staff are recommended to bring lunch from home to avoid larger public settings.
And then of course there’s the whole quarantine protocol. And just to remind you, these are the bare bare bare minimum of what we have received to help prepare the schools and staff. Did I say bare?
To give you a better idea, for our school we received the regular NYC mandated DOH guidelines list and created our own school’s policies and protocols packet. This packet came out to be 10 single spaced pages with everything the school is doing, what will happen if there is a quarantine, and the new rules we expect the parents to follow as well.
So again, that list above is toothpicks compared to everything schools really need to do but it is just to give you a sense.
The other thing to remember is that these polices and protocols are subject to change as DOH roles out new information or as the school sees fit. But hopefully all of your schools were able to provide you with a packet such as the one I described to help you really understand all that is being done to keep your little ones and the school community safe.
*The Parts Parents Play
Now the second half to that packet as mentioned above, is what the parents will need to expect and follow through with as well. It’s not just the teachers and staff that need to do their part, the parents play a very big role in keeping our environment safe too.
If there is one complaint that I’ve gotten more than anything over the past few months as we are gearing up to start classes in the Fall, it is that the teachers are fearful the parents won’t follow the new rules and the parents are fearful the teachers won’t follow through. It’s basically a Catch 22. Everyone wants to be safe and doesn’t trust the other person to do the exact same thing. That’s why we need to work together.
The teachers have their rules, and parents you have yours as well. So let’s take a quick look into that.
Some of the new rules parents are expected to follow are: (and again, this is the bare minimum)
1. answer the health questionnaire honestly
Yes I know this may sound silly but coming from the teachers point of view, all parents (yes I mean all!) have at some point brought a sick child to school because they needed child care, despite knowing their child is ill.
So if we are asking if you have been in contact with someone who was ill with symptoms or who has contracted the corona virus, you need to be honest. Yes this means your child will need to do a precautionary 2 week quarantine and won’t be permitted in school, but it lessens the possibility that your child could possibly infect their entire class and teachers.
If you want the teachers to be safe and honest with you, we expect the exact same thing back.
2. mandatory wear of a face mask upon entering for drop off or pick ups.
Again, this may seem standard, but if the teachers are wearing masks all day around your children to help keep them safe, we do expect the same courtesy from parents if even for just those few minutes at the door.
3. follow mandated quarantine periods: a must!
This may change per school depending on if you’re child is attending a public or private school. However, the DOH has passed their minimum regulations outlining mandatory quarantines and isolation periods following a possible contraction. This will either be a 10 day period of 14 day period minimum, so be prepared for that.
At my school we have provided even stricter regulations considering a possible contraction, with a minimum of 14 days or more.
What we do ask is that if your child is on a precautionary quarantine (meaning they weren’t the ones that were sick or tested positive. Perhaps someone in their household did or someone they came into contact with), please do not bring them to school pretending as if you did not know the new rules. Please do not bring them ahead of the scheduled 10 or 14 day period. And best practices (mandatory for our school) is to bring a confirmed doctors note stating your child does not have the virus and is permitted back on premises.
The harder a time you give school administrations about following the time lined quarantines, the less the teaching staff will trust you and the less you are doing your part to help keep everyone safe.
I know this sounds a bit harsh, but again from the staff point of view, we have had situations where things like neglecting the sick policy has occurred. So let’s all work together.
4. stricter sick policy:
We will end on this one (although there are a bunch more) so as not to overwhelm parents with how strict the new regulations are. But please do your part to read, review, and study what is expected of you at your child’s school.
I am not sure how strict public school regulations are with regards to other illnesses such as the common cold, pink eye, stomach bug, and other common child ailments, however we will not be permitting any staff member or student who is not 100% healthy to enter the school.
The change in sick policy here is that if your child had a runny nose or cough or cold, they would still be able to attend. That is no longer.
If your child is not 100% healthy they are not permitted to enter the premises. Now this is very important again with regards to child care. I know many families (as we’ve had in the past) rely on school to have their child somewhere while they work. We can no longer house children who show symptoms of any kind.
Next, please do not bring your child to school and say something along the lines of “oh it’s just the sniffles” or “she just has a runny nose but she’s fine”. That will no longer be acceptable and we do not want to turn you away at the door.
Please be considerate of the other children and teaching staff and make plans ahead of time for childcare versus trying to push your child through the door. I know this may seem very strict but these are uncertain times and safety is everyones top priority.
Again, be sure to review your child’s newly revised sick policy. You do not want to be left in a difficult position and we do not want to put anyone in a difficult position.
*The Reality of School in Fall 2020
Now the reality of what you are really going to see once the school year gets rolling may be a little different. Yes, we can do as much prepping and planning as possible. We will email our student’s parents as frequently as needed (I’m pretty sure I emailed my parent community twice a day this last week). The staff will attend all the mandated trainings, but…
Something is still going to occur. You need to be realistic about sending your child into a larger group setting. Am I recommending your child stay home from school and start online? Absolutely not, unless you choose that option and that works best for you.
But if you have made the decision to move forward with in person classes there are things that are likely to occur, and when they do occur don’t be surprised.
There is a reason all schools have a quarantine protocol in place. Most likely someone will contract the virus at some point in the school year. Just like you would if you’re commuting/traveling, eating out, shopping, etc. It can be from anywhere. All I’m saying is be prepared. If you’re making the decision to have your child back in school, then you’re also making the decision to be ready and willing for all that entails.
The best thing you can do for yourself and your kids is be prepared.
*Summary
Okay parents, I know this was a long one but we’ve barely scratched the surface of what will be happening in Fall 2020 when it comes to schooling. Hopefully this was able to bring you a little more guidance and possibly help with your decision making process.
Whatever you decide for your kids I’m sure will be right for them. Whether you choose in person, online, or half and half, making sure the learning is happening is the most important part so you’re already most of the way there.
Just remember, if you do choose to join us back at school, the staff and teachers are working to keep your family safe so please provide the same consideration to them. We hope to see you in September!
And as always, If you have any questions, comments, or ideas please share them in the comments section below with your fellow parents! And definitely subscribe to the newsletter for updates and ongoing happenings at TylekTeaches.com. The subscription link is just at the bottom of this post.
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