Are you planning a face-to-face class? 22 actions and points to take

For many families, plans to return to school will look different this year. The school will introduce a new policy to prevent the spread of COVID-19. You may also start your academic year with a virtual learning component. Whatever the situation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes various checklists aimed at helping parents, parents and caregivers plan and prepare for the upcoming academic year.

Attendance or reconfiguration of school classrooms includes:

Cohort: Separate students and teachers into groups and stay together all day during direct classroom instruction. Schools may have minimal or no interaction between cohorts (sometimes called pods).

Hybrid: A mixture of virtual learning and in-class learning. The hybrid option can apply a cohort approach to the in-class education offered.

Virtual/Home Only: Students and teachers attend virtual only classes, activities and events.

If you plan to send your child to school, here are 22 actions and points to consider.

1. Every morning, check in with your child for signs of illness. If your child has a temperature above 100.4 degrees, they should not go to school.

2. Make sure your child does not have sore throats or other signs of illness such as coughing, diarrhea, severe headaches, vomiting, or body aches.

3. If your child has had close contact with a case of COVID-19, you should not go to school. Follow guidance on what to do when someone knows the exposure- See more..

4. Identify the school contact to contact if the child becomes ill.

5. Familiarize yourself with the local COVID-19 test site in case you or your child develop symptoms. These may include sites where free tests are available.

6. Keep your child up to date with all recommended vaccines, including flu. All school-age children should be vaccinated with the influenza flu vaccine seasonally, with rare exceptions. This is especially important this year, as it is not yet known if the flu will cause more serious illnesses and at the same time get sick with COVID-19.

7. Review and practice proper hand-washing techniques at home, especially before and after eating, sneezing, coughing, and adjusting face covers. Make your hands wash fun and explain to your child why it is important. See more tips Here CDC..

8. Understand how to make water available to schools during the day. Consider packing the water bottle.

9. Create daily routines before and after school-for example, what to pack for morning school (such as hand sanitizer and additional (back-up) cloth face covers) and what to do when you get home (E.g. wash your hands immediately) Clean the surface covering of the worn cloth.

More: 11 things to consider if you need to use a cloth face cover at school

More: 14 Tips to Effectively Wear a Table Cover

10. Talk with your child about precautions to take at school. Children wash and disinfect their hands more often, physically keep them away from other students, cover them with cloth, and avoid sharing objects such as water bottles, devices, writing instruments, books, etc. with other students, You may be advised to use a hand sanitizer.

11. Make a family plan to protect household members at high risk of serious illness.

12. Make sure the school information is up to date, including emergency contacts and individuals who are allowed to pick up your child from the school. If the list includes people at high risk of severe COVID-19, consider identifying another person.

13. Make sure you understand the school’s plans for how to communicate with your family in the event of a positive COVID-19 case or contact with someone, and try to protect your privacy.

More: 8 Changes You Can Expect When School Reopens Throughout Tristate This Fall

14. Plan for school closures or quarantine periods. School buildings may be closed if the infection is increasing in the community or if multiple children and staff are tested positive for COVID-19. Similarly, if COVID-19 is positive due to close contact with the child (in school or out of school), the child may need to stay home for a 2-week quarantine period. You may need to consider the possibility of identifying who can supervise your child if you are working from home, on vacation, or if your school building is closed or quarantined.

15. Make a transportation plan. If your child takes a bus, cover the surface of the bus with a cloth and talk about the importance of following bus and seat rules. If synergistic, all synergistic children and drivers should wear cloth covers and plan the entire trip. If your school uses a cohort model, consider finding a group of children/family within the cohort as part of the carpool.

16. If your child has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan or has other learning support (eg, tutoring), ask the school how these services will continue. please.

17. If your child receives speeches, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, or other related services from the school, ask the school how these services will continue.

18. If your child has mental health or behavioral services (eg social skills training, counseling), ask the school how these services will continue.

19. If your school uses a cohort model, consider limiting your child’s face-to-face off-school interactions to those in the same cohort or activities that maintain physical distance.

20. Strengthen the concept of physical distance with children.

21. Talk to your school administrator and teacher about your physical education and physical activity plans. Safer options include being outdoors when possible, reducing the number of people in indoor spaces, and encouraging students to stay at least 6 feet away.

22. Ask how the school plans to make sure students are following practices to reduce the prevalence of COVID-19.

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention

click here Print the parent CDC checklist.