2. Establish a system for monitoring and relaying government alerts and official health advice

Speed, accuracy and consistency is key. In order to ensure parents, staff and students know the latest, and how changing regulations and guidelines impact school operations, you should:

• Define the news sources and mediums your school will monitor for updates
• Identify two staff members responsible for conducting that monitoring
• Establish how often those outlets and platforms will be reviewed for updates

4. Segment your communications to ensure relevancy

Some communications should go to everyone. And, some definitely shouldn’t. The ability to easily and accurately segment messages based on relevant recipient attributes is critical. As a basic example, student communications need to vary based on year level and age. Students with special needs also require consideration and segmentation: In particular, on-site learners — such as pupils requiring additional learning support or those whose parents are frontline workers — will need separate reminders and updates (eg: processes for participating in temperature checks when arriving on campus).

6. Confirm staff and student medical and emergency contact details

Don’t wait until there is an emergency — especially for staff and students likely to continue onsite education. Immediately distribute a request for staff and students to verify, and update if necessary, medical information and emergency contact details.

Ensure authorised staff are immediately alerted when changes are made, so you’re never caught off-guard, and details are digitally accessible from any device.

Know who has high-risk medical conditions in the context of COVID-19, such as asthma and diabetes, and be confident that you know exactly what to do and who to call in case of emergency.

8. Put COVID-19 updates front and centre

Do you have regular, well-known places you publish important announcements? Publish your COVID-19 updates there too. It may sound obvious, but forgetting to update your website is easy-to-do when you’re involved in the day-to-day running of a school (especially during a pandemic!).

Also publish, and update as required, a COVID FAQ document. It’ll help give your community the fast answers and reassurance they want, while reducing staff workload and stress. And, if you’re lucky, you might be able to simply dust-off March’s version.

10. Update or establish your instant messaging service

In an emergency situation, there’s simply no time to waste. Ensure you have the ability to broadcast SMS to your entire school community. Whether that’s seeking-out a solution, updating your credits with an existing provider, or updating recipient mobile numbers to ensure high deliverability, the time to act is now. Communicate school infections, closures for deep-cleaning, or new lockdown restrictions fast.

12. Plan for, monitor and act on absenteeism

Just because face-to-face schooling ceases, or modifies, doesn’t mean the need to manage absenteeism disappears too. In fact, remote learning can present an opportunity for already disengaged students (and parents) to disengage further.

Update and share your new protocols for reporting and monitoring absenteeism to both parents and staff. Consider some of the following:

• Will your protocols and processes for reporting absence change?
• Will reporting absenteeism differ between remote and on-site learners or staff?
• How can you make it as easy as possible for parents and staff to alert the school and comply with stipulated procedures?

With uncertainty surrounding contact hours and general operations, make it as easy as possible for people to report absenteeism and illness. Adding an absentee submission form to your website, which is linked to your school’s system of record, is a good idea.