French schools in Houston have stepped up their vigilance against the coronavirus epidemic. The private school "La Maternelle French Academy" follows the directives of the local government and various health organizations in the city. " Since March 5, the situation in Texas and Houston has changed a little, but for the moment, no alert. We follow the recommendations of the city, Harris County and the CDC. Without falling into psychosis, we communicate regularly with parents "Said Karen Hallenbeck, school principal.
Any child arriving with a fever is immediately sent home with instructions to stay there. The student can come back if the latter has spent 24 hours without fever and without any medication (Tylenol, Mucinex ….) with a word from the attending physician. The school also asked parents to reinforce essential hygiene measures and to teach their children daily rituals such as coughing properly in the elbow or washing their hands at least three times a day. The school has strengthened disinfection of sanitary facilities. She observes the basic rules of not shaking hands and no more physical contact. "We also emailed parents about how to talk to children about covid-19. It is a support so that they can chat with their children ", adds the latter. The parent-only show scheduled for March is in talks at the moment, with a decision to be made next week.
Houston’s Awty International School also closely monitors reports of the epidemic through various state bodies. It also receives updates and recommendations from three professional school associations and continues to publish weekly to parents. Teachers remind students of preventative measures they can take. The administration, for its part, has increased disinfection and is carrying out additional cleaning operations using products more powerful than regular household tools. The school has canceled a school trip to China and is considering options for trips related to classes of 2nde and 1time. She reserves the right, due to the situation, to change a travel itinerary and to have an alternative plan on campus or around Houston. " We are also preparing for the worst, the teachers are working, as they do when approaching a hurricane, to see by what means they can maintain the instruction, in particular for the students of Terminale in case Awty is forced to close for several weeks "Explains one of the establishment's managers.
In 2012, the Jean-Jacques Rousseau school in Austin has implemented a very intense disinfection protocol due to influenza, infections and infectious diseases. " The coronavirus hasn't changed anything for us. We continue with the same internal regulations which are relentless on health. We send state emails to update parents of students. The establishment also wrote at the beginning of January, to warn the parents of the coronavirus and to direct them towards the adequate and more reliable information centers. Teachers learn disinfection methods annually three times a day from the start of the year until the end of April. The direction obliges it obligatorily. We have elderly people in our teams who teach and the risks are therefore quite high. We therefore take all measures "Said Louali Hind, school principal.
She asked parents to declare any trip abroad during the school holidays and to keep their children for 14 days if they return from one of the seven countries listed by the health agency. No panic but a strengthening of hygiene rules for children. The school holiday which will take place in April should be maintained and no external visits are planned. School trips are put on hold with a significant risk of cancellation. The next few weeks will therefore be decisive. But the director noted a certain panic coming from the parents and deplored the panic in the city. "We are no longer able to restock for our daily cleaning ", She laments.
