Covid19 Parent Policy

Download COVID-19 Parent Policy 2021 (137.31 KB)

COVID-19 PARENT POLICY

CityKidz has followed all the guidelines and steps communicated by the Department of Education and the relevant Health Authority. We spared no expense to make sure our environment is COVID-19 compliant.
COVID-19 has created so many complexities, insecurities, and anxieties and we realize that you, your children, and our teachers are anxious as we transition back to school-based learning. We would like this experience to be as ‘normal’ as possible.

We would like all our parents to continue to remain informed about COVID-19 and monitor his/her child’s health. Keep regular routines and schedules as much as possible. Provide age-appropriate facts about what has happened, explain what is going on and give your children clear examples on what they can do to help protect themselves and others from infection.

Share information about what could happen in a reassuring way. Encourage your children to ask questions and express their feelings with you and their teachers. This is a very stressful time; children may respond to stress in different ways. 
Remember, that your child may have different reactions to stress; be patient and understanding. Common responses include having difficulties sleeping, bedwetting, having pain in the stomach or head, and being anxious, withdrawn, angry, clingy, or afraid to be
left alone. Respond to children’s reactions in a supportive way and explain to them that they are normal reactions to an abnormal situation. Listen to their concerns and take time to comfort them and give them affection, reassure them they’re safe and praise them frequently. If possible, create opportunities for children to play and relax.

As parents you agree that it is your duty to ensure that as far as possible:

  • My child is taught all the relevant precautions to take to prevent contracting the virus.
  • My child practises social distancing and remains approximately 1.5 m from other people.
  • My child does not attend gatherings prohibited by the lockdown regulations.
  • My child wears a mask when in a public place.
  • My child follows the washing of his/her hands steps properly and frequently:
    Washing hands properly
    Step 1: Wet hands with safe running water
    Step 2: Apply enough soap to cover wet hands
    Step 3: Scrub all surfaces of the hands – including backs of hands, between fingers and under nails – for at least 20 seconds
    Step 4: Rinse thoroughly with running water
    Step 5: Dry hands with a clean, dry cloth, single-use towel or hand drier as available
  • My child is told to refrain from touching his/her eyes, mouth, and face.
  • My child does not share cups, eating utensils, food, or drinks with others.
  • My child sneezes or coughs into a bent elbow or tissue, and to discard the tissue safely in a bin with a lid, then wash his/her hands immediately.
  • My child refrains from teasing anyone about being sick.
  • My child shares what he/she learns about preventing the spread of the disease with his/her family, friends, and siblings.
  • My child must tell his/her teacher or parents, if they feel sick, and to stay at home.

As a parent:

  • I will stay informed about COVID-19 through reputable sources.
  • I will screen my child at least once a day to ascertain whether they may have any of the symptoms of Covid-19.
  • I will notify the school if my child has symptoms of Covid-19 and I will keep my child at home.
  • I will commit to keeping my child in quarantine if he/she display symptoms of the virus.
  • I will notify the school if my child is tested and is positive for Covid-19.
  • I will give the school a list of people my child interacted with at home or in his/her transport.
  • I will notify the school if any family member or anyone my child has been in contact with tests positive for Covid-19, and my child will remain in quarantine and be tested, if necessary.
  • I will ensure that every day my child will have a clean uniform that has been washed in hot water and ironed.
  • I will ensure that my child always has a clean face mask.
  • I will teach my child not to discriminate against any person who has the Covid - 19 virus.

Parents responsibility regarding transportation of child to and from school.

  • I am responsible for ensuring that my children are transported safely to and from school. 
  • It is always my responsibility to insist on that my children wear masks when they are out of the home and in private cars or transport vehicles.
  • It is my responsibility to ensure that transport drivers sanitise their vehicles before they collect children.
  • It is my responsibility to ensure that I teach my child to sanitise his/her hands before and after travelling in any vehicle.
  • It is important that I make sure that my children do not travel in crowded buses, taxis, or transport vehicles.
  • It is my responsibility to confirm with the transport driver that the vehicles’ door, window handles, armrests and handrails are cleaned/wiped with a disinfectant before picking up and after dropping off my child.
  • I will constantly remind my child to socially distance himself/herself in transport vehicles.
  • I will teach my child that whilst queuing to get onto such a vehicle, he/she socially distances from other people.
  • I will ensure that my child does not eat whilst in a vehicle as this would mean that he/she would have to take his/her face mask off.
  • I am aware that I or the transport driver may have to wait until screening has been done by the school before I leave.

Drop off and Pick up procedures

  • Learners will enter through the Pick-up Zone entrance.
  • Learners will be scanned by staff members on duty. This will include checking if the learner has any visible symptoms of Covid - 19, taking of the learner’s temperature, cleaning of hands with sanitiser and checking that the learner’s face mask is properly fitted.
  • School will begin at 07:30. (Screening and register will be taken from 7h30 - 8h00)
  • The following questions will be asked during screening:
    Screening procedure
    Do you have a high temperature?
    Do you have a cough?
    Do you have a sore throat?
    Do you have difficulty breathing (shortness of breath)
    Do you feel weak and tired today?
    Can you taste food and drinks normally?
    Can you smell normally?
    In the past 14 days have you:
    Travelled outside of South Africa to a country with lots of coronavirus, or worked somewhere where there were international travellers?
    Travelled within South Africa to an area with local transmissions: Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Free State, Eastern Cape
    Had close contact with someone who is suspected to have COVID-19 or has been diagnosed positive with COVID-19
    Attended/Visited/Worked at a healthcare facility that has treated patients with COVID-19
    NB. If the temperature taken is higher than 38 degrees or any one of the questions are answered “Yes”, the learner/employee will become a “person under investigation” (PUI) and must be isolated and referred for testing.
  • Parents / drivers will only be allowed to drop children off, without getting out of the vehicle, parents / drivers must be wearing a mask.
  • Parents / drivers/ visitors may not enter the school grounds/buildings to minimize the number of people on the school property.
  • Social distancing measures must be followed. Distances will be marked with paint, tape or chalk (from the Pick -up zone and around the school).
  • Learners will follow the directions to their classroom in an orderly manner - maintaining at least a 1.5 m distance.
  • Staff will be on duty to maintain order.
  • School will start at 08:00 and end at 13:00.
  • Learners must be dropped off in time and learners MUST BE FETCHED AT 13:00 - no learner will be allowed to wait for transport after school.
  • NO STAFF are available from 13h00.
  • There is NO Pickup Zone facility available during this time.
  • There will be NO aftercare for the foreseeable future.
  • Parents need to understand that they and their children will not be allowed to gather in groups at any time or place, whether inside the school grounds or on the verges / pavements outside the school. Social distancing MUST always apply.

While at school

  • Learners must wear a clean uniform each day.
  • Learners may bring their own lunch e.g. “grab-and-go” packed lunch and a water bottle to school in a disposable container or order from the tuckshop.
  • Learners must bring their own stationery and books. No-one may lend or borrow any items.
  • Learners will be briefed on all protocols to follow at school.
  • Learners will be briefed about the emotional effects of COVID-19.
  • Learners will have access to sanitizers which are erected in strategic places around the school.
  • Learners will have access to bottles of sanitizers in every class.
  • appropriate signage and posters will be displayed throughout the school.
  • Teachers will teach and encourage positive self-talk. Refer any child that needs specialised services. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) offers free remote counselling (SADAG helpline 0800567567 or send a SMS to 31393).

Action to be taken when a learner appears ill or displays symptoms associated with COVID-19:

  • a. The learner will be isolated and kept separate from other learners and staff until they can be assessed by a health professional.
  • The learner will be provided with a face mask if they don’t already have one on.
  • The learner will be treated with courtesy, kindness and understanding.
  • At no stage will these concerns be highlighted, so as to avoid any form of stigmatization.
  • The parents or guardians of the learner will be informed immediately. 
  • The school will contact the NICD toll- free emergency hotline for COVID-19 (0800 029 999) or the provincial officials whose details are listed in DBE Circular 1 0f 2020.
  • The school will be advised on any further actions to be taken.

Register of Comorbidities

Our school must meet several requirements before we may reopen. One of these requirements is that the school must draw up a risk register containing a list of pupils with co-morbidities, (heart conditions such as coronary heart disease, heart failure and hypertension, lung diseases: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, lung fibrosis, and cystic fibrosis, diabetes: people with diabetes mellitus have an increased risk of infection, immune compromised or immune suppressed individuals - people receiving chemotherapy and other cancer treatments, autoimmune disease therapies (i.e. rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and organ or bone -marrow transplant). Please indicate below if your child suffers
or has suffered from any of these conditions. Please note that if the condition is of a serious nature a medical certificate may be required before your child returns to school.

Please note this information will remain confidential.