NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The New Haven Board of Education held an online meeting to discuss returning to the classroom this fall.
The discussion comes as many still wonder if it is actually safe to send children and teachers back into school for the upcoming semester.
Among the topics to discuss is safety for students and teachers. The BOE said there will be the COVID-19 safety essentials of wearing masks and washing hands, but also possible enhanced COVID-19 safety measures. Those include face shields for teachers, Plexiglass and plastic barriers in high interaction areas, including reception desks and food serving lines. Hand Sanitizer will be distributed throughout each building and uniform sinage will be placed across the district in multiple languages.
Other health recommendations included limiting visitors to the school, making sure children have limited contact with each other and their belongings, and keep group sizes small.
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The BOE also outlined a daily cleaning schedule to help mitigate the risk of infection:
- Restrooms cleaned at 9AM, 11AM, 1PM and after dismissals (unoccupied time)
- Soap dispensers and towels filled according to restroom cleanings.
- Common touchpoints spray/wipe continuously as per checklist
- Meals in classrooms teachers to assist with proper trash disposal
- Pre-K toys & play equipment disinfected throughout the day and each night
- Water fountains shut off and bagged
- Classroom & bathroom doors remain open
- Students leave desktops clear at the end of day
- Staff to utilize disinfecting wipes to periodically
- Hand sanitizers to be placed in all rooms
- Signage throughout the school reminding everyone to physically distance & hand wash
The BOE will hold their discussion at 5 p.m. Tuesday.