S̶o̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶a̶n̶d̶e̶m̶i̶c̶ ̶y̶e̶t̶.̶ UPDATED: March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization declared Coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic. But teachers typically don’t wait to prepare for something.
The global financial market is fluctuating as the news spreads of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, cases.
In your corner of the world, how can you prepare/react when Lysol and Clorox Wipes may no longer be enough?
Follow the Expert’s Advice
The US Center for Disease Control offers guidance to government agencies, including schools, on how to prepare, avoid, and respond if COVID-19 becomes an issue. Another piece of advice you have been giving for years now is respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene, continue to encourage students to use both as they are now more important than ever as COVID-19 spreads like many other viruses.
UPDATE 3/4/20: Responding to Coronavirus: A Downloadable Guide for Schools
Prepare Two Weeks+ of Lessons
The incubation period for COVID-19 is 14 days (2020). That is important because if an outbreak occurs at a building such as a school you could anticipate a minimum of a two-week closure unless disinfecting treatments intercede (pictured above a school disinfecting team in Tehran, Iran).
Prepare online lessons for at least two weeks. Consider all the “School from Home” and “Snow Day” content on HotLunchTray.com as help in creating those lessons. Prepare ahead of time for the structure of the lessons so you can just insert the content if any events come to pass at your school or in your district. Prepare for the possibility that you may be the one who is sick and have a trusted colleague who knows how/where to find your lessons.
Parents may also hesitate to send their children back initially after such a closure. In the case of a partial class, you may continue to operate past the 14 day period in an online or blended situation.
Update 3/10/20:
Educator Shared Resources:
Prepare for Possible School Closures Infographic
Closed for COVID-19? Wakelet
Remote Learning Resources, Subscriptions, and Platforms Wakelet by Erin Flanagan
The Home Learning Slidesbook for Teachers by Dominic Hill
Educate
This is another opportunity for you to show your caring and the power of education. Share information with families and let them know you care more about safety than attendance, as you are able. Share your school or district information or CDC information with families to alleviate their stress.
UPDATE 3/4/20: Education Week 2/28/20 edition Coronavirus and Schools
References
2019-nCoV frequently asked questions and answers. (2020, February 15). Retrieved February 26, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html
Organization. (2020, February 25). Schools being Disinfected against COVID-19. Retrieved February 26, 2020, from https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/445524/Schools-being-disinfected-against-COVID-19
2020-02-27 at 5:45 pm
These are great tips that everyone needs to be reminded about!
2020-03-01 at 2:30 pm
I never thought about what could happen…thank you for sharing and making parents and teachers aware of the necessary steps if there was a problem!
2020-03-16 at 5:01 am
This is really a great article and a great read for me. It’s my first visit to your blog and I have found it so useful and informative. Thank you
2021-01-18 at 4:30 am
Yeah right what about the single parent with a 12-year-old? we were tossed out to this and stumbled really hard in the whole time we were accused of skipping school. not everybody has computers and not all of us are exactly great with computers yet now we’re skipping because we suck at computers too much media time but school has to be media! great content by the way
2021-04-29 at 9:29 am
These are great tips indeed! More and more schools have jumped to online platforms to impart their lessons in a safe manner. Some parents have even resorted to home schooling for their kids.
John Gatesby recently posted…COVID Leads to Oxidative Stress and Parasympathetic and Sympathetic (P&S) Dysfunction