Back-To-School in a Post-COVID America

Can you believe it?  It’s here: it’s finally happening.  After almost 2 years – after all the starts and stops and constant headaches – your children are getting ready to go back to school.  Maybe this time, it won’t be interrupted by an emergency stay-at-home order or a mandatory quarantine after an outbreak.  Maybe this time it will even be … (Dare we say?  Dare we jinx it?) … back to normal?

Go ahead, breathe that sigh of relief.  We understand.  Not only is it good for you, it’s good for your children to be going back to school.  Beyond just the social interaction with their peers, face-to-face learning (even in those masks) has been shown to be much more effective than distance learning to instill long-term knowledge in students.  So long as school can be conducted safely – and we do believe that’s the big requirement – everyone is better off with it going forward.

So, how do we conduct school safely?

A school environment involves the cooperation of an incredible number of different people and parties, some of whom you’ll have more control over than others.  While you can carefully vet the preparedness of a teacher and a faculty, you cannot necessarily control the actions and decisions of other children and parents.  Ultimately, your child’s health and safety will begin and end with you and your child; it’s never been more crucial to understand proper safety and protocol.

I think we all understand by now that one can never own enough face masks.  It’s very likely your child will be required to wear their mask in class for the foreseeable future – this necessitates the mask is comfortable and clean.  Be sure the masks are neither tight nor loose (especially that they do not uncomfortably rub or pull on the backs of their ears), and have multiple back-ups that can be exchanged when laundry is necessary.  Masks have also shown to be fun and creative outlets for individual expression, so listen to your children if they should have ideas or requests for patterns or designs they’d like.  The more they like the mask, the less likely they are to take it off.

Be sure your child has plenty of hand sanitizer to bring with them on a daily basis.  Instill a strong understanding of regular hand washing, and teach them about high-transmission scenarios where further sanitization will be necessary.  Should your child have sensitive skin, consider also supplying them with hand lotion or a sanitizer containing aloe vera to prevent cracking and chapping.  Also be sure to make sure they understand they need not be afraid, merely cautious.

Finally, be sure to talk to your child about their experiences at school and listen.  If your child feels unsafe at school, they will tell you.  A mindful and knowledgeable child is one who can properly alert you to any foreseeable problems.  As a parent, you will be empowered to ensure that your child’s transition back to normalcy can be as painless as possible.