With the new school year fast approaching, parents should prepare their children if their schools require in-person classes. Some states ordered the opening of schools during the previous school year, while others left it to the individual school districts to decide depending on their situation.
With more than 157 million people fully vaccinated, more schools will likely offer in-person classes when the school year opens. Even though schools implement measures to keep the children safe, parents should also do their part and prepare their children for in-person classes. Here are the ways parents can make sure their children are ready when the school year starts.
Have the Children Vaccinated
If the children are already 12 years old, they can receive the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded its emergency use authorization (EUA) for the vaccine to include adolescent children aged at least 12 years old. The EUA previously included children at least 16 years old when it was issued in December 2020.
Therefore, parents should take the opportunity to have their children vaccinated. The vaccine provides better protection for children against the virus. Aside from keeping them safe while they are in school, it also keeps the family safe from infection when the child goes home at the end of the day.
Some parents may have concerns about the safety of the vaccine. But the authorities used clinical trial data to decide the expansion of its use to adolescent children. The data showed that the vaccine is effective in protecting children from the virus.
Highlight the Importance of Safety
The parents should also highlight the importance of safety while in school. Even as schools are implementing safety measures to protect the children, the parents should also make sure their children understand the precautions they have to follow so that they will not get infected. This is particularly true if children under 12 years old will also attend in-person classes.
They should also remind their children to wash their hands and avoid touching their faces. Even as transmission by touching a contaminated surface is not the main way the virus spreads, the children can still get infected if they touch surfaces contaminated by the respiratory droplets of an asymptomatic person.
The parents should make sure their children recognize the symptoms of the virus. They should also wear a mask and practice social distancing while in school. Since it may take some time before the children can practice these safety measures, the parent should remind them every day during the summer break.
Aside from safety in school, parents should also highlight the importance of safety when going to and coming back from school. This is particularly true for adolescent children who may walk or ride a bike to school. Parents should emphasize the importance of following traffic laws to avoid getting involved in an accident. If the child is involved in a vehicular accident, the parents should get in touch with a car or truck accident law company to get compensation for the injuries their child sustained. These legal professionals are well-versed in motor vehicle accidents.
Let the Child Checked by a Doctor
Before the school year starts, the parents should schedule a visit to the doctor. This is important to check the child’s overall health, especially if they stayed home ever since the pandemic started. At this point, parents should recognize the importance of a healthy immune system, which is necessary to avoid getting infected by the virus.
Even if the children are not feeling sick, their primary care doctor can provide significant insights on what the children can do to remain safe when they attend in-person classes. Some parents may be apprehensive about visiting a clinic, but clinics also implement measures to ensure the health and safety of their patients. These measures include the practice of social distancing in common areas, regular cleaning of exam rooms and waiting areas, and screening of all patients who visit the doctor.
Be Perceptive of the Child’s Concerns
Even as parents do everything they can to ensure their children’s health and safety, they should also be perceptive about the concerns their children may have. While they may be tempted to dismiss their children’s concerns, they should avoid this and actively listen to what their children are saying. This allows them to improve the way they communicate with their children. It can also relieve the anxiety their children feel about in-person classes in the middle of the pandemic. So, parents should be perceptive and listen to what their children have to say about the situation.
With in-person classes likely to push through when the school year starts, parents should prepare their children to ensure they remain safe and healthy while attending classes.
