Life during the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult for parents and children alike. The return to school is an important and hopefully welcome step, but you and your children likely have many questions. Here’s the latest information on what to expect and how you can support your young student.

We are slowly seeing an increasing number of children return to the classroom. More than 1 billion students are still out of school due to nationwide school closures, but more than 70 countries have announced plans to reopen schools and hundreds of millions of students have returned in recent weeks. [As of early June 2020]

Given the difficulty of the situation and variation across the globe, countries are in different stages regarding how and when they plan to reopen schools. These decisions will usually be made by national or state governments, often in discussion with local authorities. They will have to consider public health, the benefits and risks for education and other factors. The best interest of every child should be at the centre of these decisions, using the best available evidence, but exactly how this will look will vary from school to school.

Is it safe for my child to go back to school?

Schools should only be reopened when it is safe for students. Going back to school will likely look a little different from what you and your child were used to before. It’s possible that schools may reopen for a period of time and then a decision may be made to close them again temporarily, depending on the local context. Because of the evolving situation, authorities will need to be flexible and ready to adapt to ensure the safety of every child.

Even if leaders in your area have not yet decided to reopen schools, it’s crucial that they begin detailed planning now, to help ensure students, teachers and other staff are safe when they return and communities are confident in sending their students back to school.

What precautions should the school be taking to prevent COVID-19 virus from spreading?

School re-openings should be consistent with each country’s overall COVID-19 health response to protect students, staff, teachers and their families.

Some of the practical measures that schools can take include:

• Staggering the start and close of the school day

• Staggering mealtimes

• Moving classes to temporary spaces or outdoors

• Holding school in shifts, to reduce class size

Water and hygiene facilities will be a crucial part of schools reopening safely. Administrators should look at opportunities to improve hygiene measures, including hand-washing, respiratory etiquette (i.e. coughing and sneezing into the elbow), physical distancing measures, cleaning procedures for facilities and safe food preparation practices. Administrative staff and teachers should also be trained on physical distancing and school hygiene practices.

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