MANAGEMENT IN THE CREATION OF SAFE SPACES
INTRODUCTION
Dear Gimnasio Vermont Community,
For us it is very important that you are informed of all the processes and measures that the school has developed to mitigate and face the impact generated by COVID-19. Reason for which, we share the plan of action that has allowed us to create safe spaces for the happy return to the classroom.
As of April 2020, Gimnasio Vermont began to carry out its school activities virtually, however, in order to be prepared for a possible return to the classroom, we consolidated strategic alliances with expert personnel in biosafety. The goal was to ensure a safe environment for students and their workers.
In the first steps of this plan, we carried out a physical analysis of the infrastructure and the necessary measures to be prepared with excellence for the moment in which the competent authorities authorized the gradual, progressive and safe opening of educational institutions.
In the first steps of this plan, we carried out a physical analysis of the infrastructure and the necessary measures to be prepared with excellence for the moment in which the competent authorities authorized the gradual, progressive and safe opening of educational institutions.
BIOSAFETY PROTOCOLS
These action plans were built based on the main services provided by the school:
Transportation
The measures taken in this service are:
- Taking temperature and sanitizing hands when entering the bus.
- Monitoring of the health status of drivers and bus monitors.
- Physical distancing measures inside the vehicle.
- Cleaning and disinfection measures at frequent user contact points.
Foods
The measures taken in this service are:
- Hand washing stations for the entrance to the dining hall.
- Physical distancing measures for seating at the tables.
- Physical distancing measures for seating at the tables.
- Measures for the correct removal of the mask in the dining room.
- Establishment of shifts and schedules to guarantee the correct ventilation of the place.
Education
The measures taken in this service are:
- Preparation of students for face-to-face attendance in alternation.
- Correct use of the uniform.
- Recommendations on the preparation of lunch boxes.
- Provision of hand washing stations.
- Provision of antibacterial gel stations.
- Distribution of classrooms with physical distancing required.
- Biosafety measures for the use of specialized classrooms: Dance, art, music, laboratories.
Common Areas
- Delimitation of common areas with physical distancing measures
- Change in the cleaning and disinfection frequencies of corridors, benches, sandboxes, parks and other spaces for rest and recreation.
- Organization of traffic flows for the movement of clusters.
- Provision of handwashing stations at strategic points of the school.
Psychosocial Support for Families
- Recommendations for the protection of families at home.
- Permanent monitoring of cases of poor academic performance.
- Accompaniment to requests for psychological support to families.
- Recommendations for a healthy coexistence.
- Awareness about the effects of quarantine and attention to mental health.
Other measures at school:
Cleaning and Disinfectionn
- Adjustment to cleaning and disinfection techniques to eliminate the virus.
- Adjustment of the frequency of cleaning and disinfection routines according to the frequency of use of the spaces.
- Establishment of the exclusive use of work tools (brooms, mops, etc.) to clean spaces exposed to possible contamination.
Entry and permanence in the facilitiess
- Controls for the entry of staff, visitors, suppliers and contractors: temperature taking, personal data registration, antibacterial gel points, among others.
- Biosafety measures for the use of restrooms.
- Measures for the use of elevators.
- Measures for the proper use of handwashing stations.
Personal Protection Elements (PPE)
- Analysis and assignment of the appropriate PPE for the development of work activities of the school staff.
- Awareness about the correct cleaning and disinfection of the PPE supplied.
- Recommendations on the use of the uniform and street clothes.
Management and monitoring of cases: Covid-19
- Establishment of isolation zones for suspected patients.
- Separation of care areas by the Medical Service staff for patients with symptoms associated with Covid-19.
- Communications channels for reporting symptoms.
- Follow-up of patients diagnosed with Covid-19.
- Adjustments to cleaning and disinfection routines for medical services in care spaces for suspicious patients.
IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE
In order to ensure that all protocols and processes are transparent and valid for all members of the community, Vermont requested a review of its Biosafety measures from Bureau Veritas, an international certifying body. This review is currently pending.
WHAT IS OUR CURRENT STATUS?
On September 8, the District Education Secretariat published the guidelines that educational institutions should take into account to reopen their facilities, guaranteeing safe environments.
We are pleased to share that the school processed all the documentation requested by the SED on October 6, receiving approval for the long-awaited reopening. Reason for which, we are working on collecting information on the decision of parents to enroll their children in the alternation scheme.
We appreciate your trust and we guarantee that we will continue working for the benefit of the safety of the entire G.V. community.