One of the Most Important Things You Can Do to Stop the Spread of Covid-19 in Your School
During Covid-19, automating your school’s dismissal system can be one of the most important things you can do to keep your school community safe.
Teachers are anxious and overwhelmed. The school office is taxed. Parents are exhausted. Custodians are cleaning like mad. Technology directors are problem-solving like never before. And principals, counselors, and aides are doing everything in their power to keep the education engine running in their schools—in spite of Covid-19.
Long-term school closures are taking their toll
And students? While they may be the most resilient of these groups, school closures that began at the end of March 2020 are taking their toll, particularly for younger children and children from disadvantaged households. Even for students who attend schools with hybrid models of attendance in place, research is showing that the longer schools stay closed, the worse it is for students, their families, and the communities that serve them.
This research states the effects of long-term school closures quite clearly:
“...the welfare effects of one-year school closures are more than twice as large as the welfare effects of six-month school closures. The loss in schooling and associated human capital accumulation is harder to offset the longer the crisis lasts.”
Listening to the science
The good news is that science is proving that when schools adhere to the recommended CDC guidelines of wearing masks, cleaning in between sessions, and social distancing as much as possible:
“...there has been little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to increased community transmission.”
Immunizing school personnel against Covid-19 as soon as possible will allow students to return back to school, getting them back to the learning opportunities they need and deserve—and allowing their parents to get back to work.
Educators as Frontline Workers
Many states are prioritizing the vaccination of educators as frontline workers, which at the very least will reduce anxiety and worry about contracting the virus after consistently being exposed to so many different students, and at the very most will hasten the ability of schools to open up fully as long as they keep the recommended safety protocols in place.
When it is time to open up your school
When you do re-open, one of the most important things you can do to stop the spread of Covid-19 in your school community is to automate your dismissal process with PickUp Patrol.
At its core, PickUp Patrol is a convenient app that allows parents to submit changes to their student’s regular dismissal plan, eliminating the need for schools to track notes, emails, and phone calls. The system automatically compiles the plan change information for the school office through a central dashboard. It is school-administered with authorized changes and secure data protection.
Powerful already—ESSENTIAL during Covid-19
These features in and of themselves are tantamount to helping to ensure that students arrive at their intended after-school destinations while at the same time reducing classroom interruptions and saving countless hours for school secretaries—but they are absolutely critical when it comes to stopping the spread of Covid-19 in K-12 schools.
DISMISSAL TRACKER WITH CLASSROOM NOTIFICATION
Announce the arrival of cars, buses, parent walk-ups, daycare vans, etc. to the students’ teacher/supervisor so they can dismiss them directly from the classroom or from another centralized location on your campus.
STAGGER DISMISSAL TIMES
You can set the system up to vary when students are dismissed to avoid large gatherings at the end of the school day. For example, you can set up two different times for your parents to pick up their children: 2:15 Car Line, 2:45 Car Line, etc.
ESTABLISH MULTIPLE EXIT POINTS
To help reduce the congestion in hallways and keep groupings small, you can set the system up to dismiss students to various places on your campus. For example: North Door Pickup, South Door Pickup, etc.
KEEP TRACK OF HYBRID SCHEDULING
Set who is learning remotely and who is learning at school on different days of the week so it’s easier to keep track of who is in the building each day.
DAILY HEALTH SCREENER
Parents answer customizable yes/no questions regarding their students’ health before they leave for school. The school can track the status of students and follow up with families quickly and easily as needed. You can also use the Daily Health Screener for your staff.
CONTACT-FREE CHECK-IN/OUT
Parents use the app to sign their children in and out for late arrivals and early dismissals. The app notifies the office staff when parents arrive, allowing them to remain outside of the building if you prefer.
NO DISMISSAL NOTES = NO VIRUS TRANSMISSION
Although not the main mode of transmission, the CDC states that it may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. PickUp Patrol completely eliminates the need for notes to communicate plan change information to the school, protecting the health of your entire school community.
“PickUp Patrol has been incredibly supportive and helpful! You are making a tricky process feel very smooth during an incredibly unpredictable and unprecedented time.”
An affordable way to help keep your school safe
Even more, with school budgets as stretched as they are, PickUp Patrol allows schools to prorate until the end of the 2020-21 school year, making it one of the most easy and affordable ways to add a powerful tool to help protect your entire school community from Covid-19.
Contact PickUp Patrol today to get more information, set up a live online demo, and/or to start the process of automating your dismissal process. It really is one of the most important things you can do to stop the spread of Covid-19 in your school.