How To Stay Safe At School During Covid-19

When kids are going back to school amidst a pandemic, they will be bombarded with an onslaught of germs, no doubt. This can be overwhelming for students as well as for their parents. But back-to-school doesn’t have to mean back-to-worrying. Though the safety inside your child’s school is ultimately the responsibility of the principal and school staff, parents can take a few steps to ensure that their child is having a safe school experience. Here’s how you can keep your kids healthy during the school year so that you can focus on sharing positivity instead of sickness.

Keep Up With Covid-19 Updates

The 2020-2021 school year has started, but with a lot of questions, like what is the school doing to prevent the spread of the virus? Or What happens if a student in class or school gets it? Or What will the school do if a teacher catches the virus? While navigating through the school year, you can take action to inform yourself, prepare your kid and help teachers prepare classrooms in Global Indian Internation School in Abu Dhabi as best as possible. 

• Make a checklist of what to do in case of exposure

• Practice handwashing, social distancing and proper mask-wearing procedures

• Stock up on face masks, hand sanitisers and gloves.

Encourage Hand Washing

Most children are encouraged to wash their hands after they use the bathroom. But that is not the only time to do this. With Covid-19 going on all around the world, you need to show your children how to wash their hands the right time and way. Make sure that they use soap and water to coat their palms, wrists, backs of their hands and between their fingers. This is to be done as frequently as possible coupled with a hand sanitiser before eating anything or touching their faces. 

Mask Up

Research has shown that using a reusable fabric mask that has a three-layer thickness reduces the distance that water droplets can travel through the air. These masks can also be washed daily and are lower cost over time. You should ensure that the mask is sized properly so it fits comfortably over your child’s nose and mouth. Children can also be taught the proper way to take their masks on and off - by touching the sides of the masks, not the front.

Teach Healthy Habits

The message of “sharing is caring” is constantly given to children but this pandemic has made this to be rather difficult and ill-advised. Proper personal hydration, on the other hand, is one of the best things you can teach your child, as it can fight off colds and the flu and keep their immune system strong. 

Along with these tips, the best thing you can do to keep your child safe at school is to speak up. If there is something you are concerned about, like contaminated school buses, recess procedures or even activity classes, you can speak with the school’s administration or join the PTA. You can suggest opportunities for improvement and stay involved with school events. This way you will help your child thrive at school while contributing to creating a protected environment for all students.