GLE Associates, Inc.
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
888.453.4531
  • About
    • Locations
  • Services
  • Projects
  • Federal
  • Careers
  • Our Blog
  • Contact us
Previous post What You Need to Know to Reopen Your Restaurant Safely Next post How to Reduce COVID Risk in the Built Environment
reopening schools

Here are The Essential Guidelines for Reopening Schools

Michael Collins, CIH, CSP, CIEC24 June, 2020 Michael Collins, CIH, CSP, CIEC

According to the CDC and White House guidelines, schools and universities may, in some cases, commence reopening this Fall as part of a phased approach to reopening the economy.

Across the country, school officials are weighing multiple considerations as they make plans regarding whether to reopen and how. For those who are making the decision or already planning to reopen, it is critical to keep up to date on the latest CDC guidelines and to monitor local and regional data, benchmarks, and rules.

Currently, the CDC offers guidance for four main areas of concern: Deciding to open, pre-opening building considerations, ongoing mitigation, and prevention and support. Here are the key points included in their current guidelines.

1. Deciding to Open

Schools are encouraged to use the CDC’s decision tool when considering whether to reopen. This tool guides users through a set of step by step questions and guidelines to aid in making this decision. Those guidelines include:

  • Whether reopening is consistent with local and state orders
  • Whether the school is prepared to protect children and employees who are at high risk
  • Whether the school is equipped to screen students and employees upon arrival

If the answer to any of these considerations is “no,” then schools are encouraged to continue online learning until they can answer “yes” to all of them.

If the answer is yes, then school leaders are encouraged to consider the following additional questions:

  • Are you equipped to promote healthy hygiene practices, including hand-washing and face coverings?
  • Do you have the resources to follow increased cleaning and disinfection routines?
  • Are you able to encourage and enforce social distancing, including increased spacing between desks, smaller groups, and limiting mixing between groups?
  • Can you train all employees in new procedures and policies?

Next, officials are encouraged to consider whether they can implement ongoing monitoring including:

  • Procedures for checking for signs and symptoms among students and employees on a daily basis
  • Procedures for managing students and employees who become sick while school is in session
  • Monitoring student and employee absences and instituting flexible leave and sick day policies
  • Procedures for cooperating with local health authorities in the event of an outbreak among students or employees

Schools that can clearly and emphatically address all of these issues are encouraged to put a plan into place for reopening.

2. Pre-opening Considerations

Before schools reopen, administrators should consider the factors in building design, disinfecting, and maintenance that will impact the safety of their students. Factors that can reduce risk include:

  • Increasing and improving ventilation systems
  • Reducing cross-ventilation among rooms and areas of the school
  • Ensuring all water systems are safe and sanitized
  • Modifying layouts to provide adequate spacing and reduced commingling
  • Reducing shared spaces and objects
  • Implementing safe food service practices and/or having children bring their own meals
  • Providing physical barriers where appropriate
  • Thorough cleaning and disinfecting of all areas and procedures for ongoing cleaning and disinfection throughout the day and week

For more information on meeting these guidelines, review the CDC’s page on the topic.

3. Ongoing Mitigation

Every school situation is different. Leadership is encouraged to work with local and regional authorities to develop best practices and procedures for reopening consistent with a clear understanding of risks.

Lowest risk situations are virtual-only classes, activities and events.

Medium risk includes small, in-person classes, activities and events. The shorter the interaction and the fewer people involved, the lower the risk. In this category includes situations where groups of students remain together throughout the day and do not commingle with other groups; where they remain 6 feet apart and do not share objects, and where hand hygiene and masks are used.

Higher risk includes activities such as full-size classes, activities, and events. Lack of spacing, commingling of groups, and the absence of protective equipment and practices increases the risk substantially.

Schools should work to reduce risk as much as possible and mitigate it when high-risk situations are unavoidable. This includes increasing hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, providing plentiful hygiene stations and disinfecting shared areas such as bathrooms and cafeterias regularly. Reducing commingling, encouraging or requiring cloth face coverings, and increasing spacing. It also includes screening employees and students at the beginning of each school day and instituting processes for managing response to symptoms that develop during the school day.

Signs and messages should remind students and employees of proper practices.

4. Additional Considerations

The school environment and experience is varied and unique to each school. Administrators should use good judgment and coordination with officials and guidelines to ensure they address all aspects of their school environment and experience for optimized safety.

Some additional areas to consider include:

  • School visitor policies
  • Field trip policies
  • Leave policies
  • Staggered scheduling
  • Designated COVID-19 Point of Contact
  • Communication systems
  • Health screening considerations
  • Support for coping and resilience of employees and students

Many schools additionally have reconsidered their calendars to accommodate for COVID-19 considerations. By opening sooner and closing earlier in the year, many hope to take advantage of the potential that the virus will spread less easily in milder weather. Others have consolidated school time to fewer days to reduce exposure, while still others are implementing mixed online and in-person options.

Whatever your school system decides, it’s critical to do so in coordination with local, state, and regional officials and according to CDC best practices. We environmental professionals would love to work with you ensuring that your school environment is as safe as it can be. Contact us today.

Previous post What You Need to Know to Reopen Your Restaurant Safely Next post How to Reduce COVID Risk in the Built Environment

Related Articles

Here is OSHA’s Latest Guidance for Employers in the Time of Coronavirus

19 March, 2020Robert B. Greene, PE, PG, CIH, LEED AP Robert B. Greene, PE, PG, CIH, LEED AP
OSHA cornonavirus

The New Normal: What You Need to Know About Construction Safety in the Time of Coronavirus

22 April, 2020Michael Collins, CIH, CSP, CIEC Michael Collins, CIH, CSP, CIEC

How to Reduce COVID Risk in the Built Environment

13 July, 2020Michael Collins, CIH, CSP, CIEC Michael Collins, CIH, CSP, CIEC
Michael Collins, CIH, CSP, CIEC Principal Certified Industrial Hygienist As a Principal Certified Industrial Hygienist for GLE, Michael Collins has over 26 years of experience in planning and managing complex industrial hygiene and environmental projects and investigations. He has extensive experience in OSHA-related projects such as exposure assessments, ergonomic evaluations, ventilation assessments, and noise surveys. In addition to his role at GLE, Mr. Collins serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of North Alabama in the Chemistry and Industrial Hygiene Department. Contact

Blog subscription

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Categories

  • Architecture
  • Building Forensics
  • Catastrophe Response
  • Civil Engineering
  • Construction Consulting
  • Indoor Environmental
  • Industrial Hygiene
  • MEP Engineering
  • Outdoor Environmental
  • Property Condition Assessment
  • Sin categoría
  • Who We Serve

Search

Services

  • Indoor Environmental
  • Outdoor Environmental
  • Industrial Hygiene
  • Construction Consulting
  • Building Forensics
  • Property Condition Assessment
  • Catastrophe & Insurance Services
  • Architecture

Site Links

  • Home
  • Our Blog
  • About
  • Career Opportunities
  • Contact us
  • Locations

Learn More

Subscribe To The GLE Blog
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
© 2022 GLE Associates, Inc. All Rights Reserved. AR 0007729; PE RY5483; Asbestos ZA 0000034; PG 1737
Design & Developed by TranquilBlue

Subscribe To The GLE Blog

Blog Signup

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.