What a COVID-Conscious School Should Look Like

Karen Song, Zoe Lu
Edited by Teknos 2019-2020 Staff

Ever since that fated day in early March, institutions across the world have moved nearly every level of instruction online. As certain countries experience slowing infection numbers while others are seeing a rebound or “second wave” of cases, now the question remains as to how (or if) schools can safely reopen their doors. As the start of the fall term approaches, school systems in America and other countries with increasing infection numbers should adopt the novel ways of making in-person learning contactless and safer implemented by schools in Asia and Europe.

In China, where the first cases of the virus originated, the country’s Ministry of Education is requiring that students have their temperatures checked at school entrances and that they display a "green" (symptom-free) code of health via China's smartphone health code program [1]. The software issues users a colored health code (green, yellow, or red) based on the results of a quick survey to determine whether they can leave the house and where they can go. Officials stationed at various checkpoints across the country are checking people's health apps to see where they are allowed to go, and anyone with a green code is free to travel [1]. However, China’s COVID-19 surveillance system has faced scrutiny from Western countries over the use of big data and privacy concerns; the government has not been transparent over what they are tracking. As of May, schools in China have all been reopened (except grades 1-3) without a huge resurgence in cases, so the measures the Chinese government has been taking, albeit draconian, seem to be effective. This health code protocol, however, will not be suitable for most Western countries unless fully privatized.

Taiwan, one of the countries nearest to the country of origin, reopened schools on February 25; the country to date has only 7 COVID-19 related deaths. Prior to reopening schools, Taiwan extended its winter break in February in order to disinfect education facilities, distribute medical supplies, and implement new procedures for schools with confirmed coronavirus cases [6]. Schools now conduct temperature checks, and some have plastic desk partitions as an added security measure. Given Taiwan’s outstanding track record of controlling COVID-19 cases, these simple measures of limiting student-student or student-teacher contact should be implemented in all schools.

Japan, another country near the virus’s epicenter, closed schools on March 2nd and have reopened in early April for the new school year. Japan left the decision of whether or not to reopen to local municipalities based on the number of COVID-19 cases in each area. The Ministry of Health also released guidelines for school reopening: opening windows to ventilate classrooms, maintaining physical distance, checking temperatures daily, and wearing face masks. As of May 2, about 40% of schools have reopened [6].

Students wearing protective face masks talk while practicing social distancing in the courtyard of a flemish secondary school during its reopening in Brussels, Belgium, May 15, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman

In Europe, countries like Denmark have enacted protocols for schools, such as placing desks six feet apart and staggering student arrivals. Denmark and Norway have reopened schools for younger students, but universities and upper schools remain closed. The Norwegian government has also urged schools to divide classes into groups of no more than 15 and have children wash their desks daily, among other precautions [6]. One high school in Germany is even testing students and staff twice a week [4].

The Fairfax County Public Schools’ School Board has adopted a return to school plan that lists two options for parents to choose from: “100 percent virtual, online learning or part-time, face to face instruction in our school buildings” [2]. In the era of Zoom calls and face masks, parents are understandably wary of sending their children back to school where coronavirus could easily spread. To mitigate fears over contact, school systems including FCPS should institute policies similar to those adopted by countries that have already partially reopened:

Regulate the number of students per square footage of the classroom
Plastic test dividers should be sanitized and used as partitions between students/teachers
Bus stop and school entrance temperature checks should be mandatory
Face masks should be distributed to students prior to the start of school and should be mandatory
Stagger student arrival times based on grade level and town
Detailed hourly/daily sanitation protocols for custodial staff
Lunch given in classrooms with students eating at desks separated by at least six feet
Sanitizing wipes available to wipe down desks/chairs before and after students use them

A COVID-conscious school would consist of smaller class sizes, increased sanitation, and detailed protocol on movement between classes and transportation. Large gatherings such as pep rallies and homecoming would have to be postponed until state/national testing reaches an adequate level. Sports conditioning practices would have to be held online or at great distances, and games/meets for sports such as track and field could be conducted at spaced out distances. Contact-heavy sports such as football, basketball, and volleyball, as well as sports involving close proximities between students such as crew and dance may be too risky to be held.

Globally, nationwide closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic are impacting over 60% of the world’s student population, with over 1 billion students affected to date [5]. For an effective continuation of learning for students in the 2020-2021 school year, schools should not just be working with their counties, but also with neighboring states to ensure a gradual and safe return to normalcy.

References

[1] Ankel, S. (2020, April 7). As China lifts its coronavirus lockdowns, authorities are using a color-coded health system to dictate where citizens can go. Here's how it works. Business Insider. Retrieved June 23, 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-china-health-software-color-coded-how-it-works-2020-4

[2] Brabrand, S. (2020, June 23). Return to school update. Fairfax County Public Schools. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.fcps.edu/index.php/blog/return-school-update

[3] FCPS. (2020, June 15). Reopening schools plan presented to Fairfax County School Board [Press release]. https://www.fcps.edu/news/reopening-schools-plan-presented-fairfax-county-school-board

[4] Fox, E. G. (2020, May 12). A school in Germany is giving free coronavirus tests to students and teachers twice a week. Insider. Retrieved June 21, 2020, from https://www.insider.com/german-school-tests-staff-and-teachers-coronavirus-twice-a-week-2020-5

[5] UNESCO. (n.d.). Education: From disruption to recovery. Retrieved June 21, 2020, from https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse

[6] Wiley, M. (2020, May 2). COVID-19: Countries around the world are reopening their schools. This is what it looks like. World Economic Forum. Retrieved June 21, 2020, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/05/coronavirus-countries-schools-education-covid19-reopen-classroom/