The Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Health officials prepared the 'Guidelines about Measures That Should Be Taken at Schools during the Pandemic'. 

 

Guidelines which were sent to the provincial directorates of national education proposed teachers, education workers, canteen workers and student bus drivers to receive the full dose of vaccination.

 

According to the guidelines, unvaccinated teachers and school workers who are obliged to get together with students must get PCR tests twice a week.

 

The guidelines also suggested people who are living in the same home with students to get their full dose of vaccination.

 

The Ministry of National Education will provide a required number of masks for students, teachers and school workers in schools.

 

There will be mask disposal bins in common areas of the school, in classrooms, teachers' lounge and they will be disposed of daily.

 

Infected, contacted or risky students and school staff will be monitored by the Ministries of National Education and Health through data integration and related information will be provided to related schools.

 

Teachers will attend training programs concerning infraction control and rules of entering school during the seminar week and school administrations will delegate personnel for the implementation of measures.

 

All students enrolled in schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education will come to school with masks however there will be exceptions for students who suffer from developmental disability and who have trouble in wearing masks.

 

Masks will be suitable for the size of children.

 

If masks get dirty or wet, school administrations will provide new masks for students, teachers and school workers.

 

Students who cannot wear masks due to developmental disability or other medical reasons (certified with medical report) will be encouraged to wear face shields.

 

The guidelines suggested those who should have very close contacts with others to wear both masks and face shields. 

 

Regardless of their vaccination status, teachers are obliged to wear masks all the time when they are at school.

 

Teachers are asked to change their masks during breaks if they have classes in different classrooms.

 

People who are present at the teachers' lounge and other common areas should wear masks at all times even if they are vaccinated.

 

Eating and drinking times should be different and should be as short as possible.

 

Regardless of their vaccination status, other school workers are obliged to wear masks all the time when they are at school. 

 

If masks get dirty or wet, masks must be changed.

 

As much as possible, parents and visitors will be allowed to enter school buildings including school gardens during the pandemic. In cases when entrance to school is a must, visitors will provide their HES codes in order to assure the school administration that they are not "risky" and will wear masks at all times when they are in the school.

 

With the purpose of providing natural ventilation, classroom windows will be kept open during class hours after taking required measures in order to prevent any risk to children.

 

All students will be encouraged to go to the school garden during breaks and classroom windows and door will be opened in order to ventilate the room for at least 10 minutes.

 

Windows at the common indoor areas of the school should be kept open and ventilated as much as possible.

 

For buildings with air condition systems; air conditions must be placed in a way that they would circulate pure clean air.

 

Maintenance and filter change of air condition systems must not be delayed.

 

Air conditions must be used at the lowest speed possible.

 

Even if there are air conditions in the classroom, natural ways of ventilation such as opening windows of the classrooms should be preferred.

 

School administrations will make sure that students, teachers and other school workers will not form crowded groups at the school garden.

 

Different grade students will have different breaks according to the physical capacity of the school and number of its students.

 

Required measures concerning social distancing during student's entrance to school will be taken by the school administrations. Students at the school garden will be warned to obey social distancing rules.

 

School administrations will make required arrangements required to reduce the number of students who get together indoors.  

 

Students in the classroom will sit in a way that their faces look in the same direction.

 

School administrations will make social distancing arrangements by considering the number of classrooms and students in the school.

 

In places where there is high infection speed and contamination risk or where there is a rapid increase in the number of corona patients, required measures will be taken under the coordination of district or provincial directorates of health.

 

Exercises such as singing which may cause saliva and secretion must be made outdoors and by keeping at least two meter distance between each student.

 

Students will be encouraged to exercise at home or at the school garden.

 

As long as it is possible, different grades will have different lunch hours according to the physical capacity of the school. If possible, students will be encouraged to have their lunch outdoors or in well ventilated places with high ceilings outside the classroom. Students will remove their masks only during drinking and eating.

 

Class hours will be planned in a way that they will not exceed 40 minutes by considering the size of the classroom and number of students.

 

School administrations will carry out routine cleaning activities more frequently.

 

They will provide water, soap and other required infrastructure needed for the hand hygiene of students, teachers and other school workers and place enough hand anti-septic bottles in the common areas. 

 

School administrations will distribute "Information Forms" to parents in an effort to allow them to report their health status to the authorities.

 

Click to see the full text of the guidelines.