School Reopens Today #nlschools

A new school year is set to begin today. This year looks very different amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

CEO of the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District, Tony Stack said that "we're ready to open, ready to open safely."

Current Public Health measures include students and staff members staying home when sick, frequent hand washing and/or hand sanitizing before and after entering school buildings and classrooms, increased cleaning of surfaces at schools and on buses, avoiding sharing personal items, maintaining a physical distance of two metres from others when possible, and keeping students in cohorts (groups).

If physical distancing is not possible, it is strongly recommended to put extra emphasis on hand hygiene, wearing masks, and cleaning and disinfecting on a regular basis before and after activities.

Students will be required to wear non-medical masks while on buses, however, no student is required to wear a mask if they cannot tolerate it.

If a student attends school exhibiting symptoms of an illness, they will be sent home.

The Public Health measures for school buses include increased cleaning and disinfection of high touch surfaces, maintaining a protective zone between the students and the driver, assigning students to seats that are grouped with other household members, and using loading/unloading procedures that support physical distancing of two metres when possible.

The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District announced their plan on August 17th for students to return to school.

How do you feel about students going back to school?