HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR TEACHERS FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021

Kevin Chaster M. Cura

The present pandemic necessarily puts extra pressure to health experts and education leaders in trying to help teachers take care of their mental and physical wellbeing. COVID-19 and the risk of getting infected by this nefarious and seemingly mystifying virus suddenly stalls the full and vibrant emergence of health-related practices of Filipinos. Due to physical distancing and avoidance in venturing outdoor, people are limited to do exercise and other physical activities to the confines of their homes and backyards. But mental physical health awareness and practices should continue to be among the priorities of people since it is the best guard against contracting the virus and fighting it off in case of infection. In the Learning Continuity Plan of the Department of Education and its implementation of learning delivery modalities, the safety of teachers is still a paramount concern and high on the list of priorities. The Department through its offices has put in place health and safety protocols in schools and offices to ensure that infection and transmission of Covid-19 virus in the workplace is abated.

To ensure the safety of both teachers and students, the Department of Education (DepEd) said its regional offices (ROs) and school division offices (SDOs) have contextualized the mode of delivery of the Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) to be used this upcoming school year. In order to distribute the modules without endangering teachers and students in the delivery of SLMs, the Regional Offices and Schools Division Offices established health and safety protocols ahead of the October 5 school opening. DepEd said that concerned ROs and SDOs should conduct of disinfection of learning materials prior packaging and distribution and forge stronger partnerships with barangay councils that will help in facilitating the distribution and retrieval of modules to their respective barangays.

The Guidelines on the Required Health Standards in Basic Education Offices and Schools or DepEd Order No. 14, s, 2020 stipulates the general policies and health protocols to be adhered to by school leaders, teachers, and other stakeholders in the conduct of their work. The guidelines generally emphasized the minimum health standards to be complied with at all times in schools and offices, such as wearing of face masks, face shields, maintain physical distancing protocols, handwashing and disinfection. All schools and offices shall-maintain a daily log sheet of all the persons entering their respective premises, with contact information, as a proactive measure in aid of possible contact tracing in the future. conducting temperature checks using a thermal scanner of all persons upon entrance and subsequently, the implementation of work from home scheme for teachers and the rotational weekly schedule of skeletal workforce in schools and offices. All regional and schools division offices are also instructed to follow the instructions and mandates of the Department of Health and the Inter-Agency Task Force related to the mitigation and control of the spread of COVID19 infection at all times.

Meanwhile, the United Nations International Children and Educational Fund or UNICEF reminds the school leaders and everyone concerned to know the latest reports and facts about COVID-19 since the virus is an evolving biological entity and knowledge about it is also changing as time passes by. Ensuring safe school operations and observing physical distancing remain to be the priorities even in the continuing education of the children. The school as the heart of the village and the center of the community has the duty to model preparedness and proper implementation of safety protocols amidst the pandemic. The school children, being the wards of the state and the future of the country deserve the most responsive and responsible acts of protection from the school and their teachers – and it can only be done when teachers and education leaders are well and safe too.

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The author is Teacher - III at Aranguren Integrated School (High School Department) DepEd Tarlac Province