November 27, 2020
Our top priority is always the safety and well-being of students and staff. We continue to follow COVID-19 guidance and recommendations provided to our school board by the Ministry of Education, Public Health Ontario and the North Bay and Parry Sound District Health Unit that informed the board’s School Reopening Plan.
All Near North District School Board schools operate on a pandemic cleaning protocol that focuses on increased cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and ensuring schools are appropriately staffed to support those efforts. The pandemic cleaning protocol, based on the advice of public health experts, includes:
- Cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting all high touch surfaces in schools, at a minimum of two times per day. High touch surfaces include handrails, light switches, doorknobs and handles, washroom taps, fixtures and door locks, faucets, push handles and push buttons, photocopiers, desk surfaces, and other frequently used equipment
- Ensuring custodial coverage throughout the entire day and if necessary redeployment of custodial staff to schools where needed
- Placement of hand sanitizing stations located throughout every school including classrooms as well as the provision of individual hand sanitizer
- Appropriately placed COVID-19 informational posters and signage relating to safe practices to be followed
- Appropriately placed directional arrows for the flow of traffic in schools
- Physical distancing measures
- Personal hand and respiratory hygiene guidance
- Contact tracing processes
- Maintaining close, ongoing communication with local public health officials
These routines have been in place since our schools reopened in September.
These efforts, combined with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) mandates, sourcing additional PPE products and COVID-19 awareness training continue to be instrumental in keeping our learning environments safe.
