Tamil Nadu Schools Reopening News: Schools to Open from 1st Oct on Alternate Days for 10th and 12th Class Students - Details Here

TN Schools To Reopen form 1st Oct: Finally, Tamil Nadu Government has given its go-ahead for reopening of Schools for Class 10 and Class 12 Students starting from 1st October 2020. As per the official guidelines, students of 10th and 12th Class will be allowed to visit their schools on alternate days for taking guidance from teachers. In line with the Unlock 4.0 Guidelines, the schools allowed to reopen have been permitted only to hold doubt-solving sessions or guidance sessions for the visiting students and regular classes remain suspended as of now. While reopening of schools has been allowed on voluntary basis for Class 10 and 12 students, online classes for the same would be continue for all students as was done previously.

SOPS, COVID-19 Guidelines Issued

Along with conveying its decision to reopen schools in Tamil Nadu from 1^st October; the state government has also issued guidelines and SOPs – Standard Operating Procedures, for the reopening process. The key among them are listed below:

• Parents’ Consent Mandatory: Students who want to visit schools starting from 1^st October need to carry a written consent from their parents, without which they will not be allowed entry inside the school campus.
• Students from Containment Zones Not Allowed: In line with the Unlock 4.0 Guidelines, students who reside in containment zones have been barred from visiting schools.
• Two Batches of Students: For reopening of schools starting from 1^st October, students of Class 10, 11 and 12 have been divided into two batches. Only 50% or students from only one batch will be allowed to visit school on a particular day. According to the SOP issued by TN Govt, students of 1^st Batch would be allowed visit schools on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and the 2nd batch would be permitted on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
• Complete Sanitization of School Campus: As per the SOP issued today, the complete premises of school campus have to be sanitized furniture, handrails, doors, windows, etc. Sanitization should be done with 1 percent sodium hypochlorite solution before calling students to the schools. After reopening, daily sanitization practice is mandatory before the commencement of school.
• Social Distancing: In order to avoid overcrowding and to ensure proper following of social distancing norms; only 50% of the total strength of students would be allowed in schools on a single day. Moreover, school administration has been asked to mark proper boxes and prepare detailed spaced seating arrangement plans for students to ensure physical distance between students.
• Face Masks Compulsory: Wearing of face masks while students and staff members are at school has been made mandatory. SOPs also prescribe that touching of the mask should be kept to a minimum.
• Thermal Scanning: SOPs issued by TN Govt also call for thermal screening of all students, teaching and non-teaching staff members before their entry onto the school campus.
• Sharing of items like notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, water bottles, etc amongst students should be not allowed.