SP Government authorizes reopening of schools for reinforcement activities starting this Tuesday | Saint Paul

Despite authorization from the state government, each city council has autonomy to decide whether or not schools will reopen in their cities. According to the latest survey conducted by the State Department of Education, only 128 of the 645 municipalities in SP are expected to reopen for reinforcement activities this Tuesday. The 39 cities in the metropolitan region, which includes the capital of São Paulo, should not reopen schools on the date authorized by the state government.

• Understand what face-to-face classes will be like

According to the Secretary of Education of the State, Rossieli Soares, classes should begin to slowly return in the state. However, she stressed that if the classroom classes return on October 7, the decision to return will be optional for parents, students and other educational institutions.

“I think we have to start going back slowly. We still have the October decision, we have the forecast to go back to school by October 7, we still have to meet some conditions for the month of September, we are not even sure to go back to school in October, I’m talking. of the curricular activities that, if they return, will not be mandatory for the students of the first stage to be face-to-face ”, he said on Tuesday morning (8) in an interview with Bom Dia SP.

For face-to-face classes to return in October, the entire state of São Paulo must be in yellow in September. “We have to make sure the time is right. If not, the priority is saving lives, “said Rossieli.

According to the Ministry of Education, although the mayors authorize the reopening of schools for tutoring, each educational institution has autonomy to see their specific demands and needs and thus choose to reopen, or not, always in dialogue with the school community.

Additionally, only students with parental permission can participate in these activities. Students and professionals in the risk group are obliged to remain in remote activities.

Rossieli Soares stressed that the return of reinforcement activities will provide students with the use of computer labs, helping students who do not have computers or internet connection at home.

“We do not necessarily want all municipalities to open in September. It is a reinforcement activity, it is a local evaluation, either in the aspect of Health that the municipalities are looking at, or also in the aspect of the city itself. school talking with the community and carrying out small activities ”, said the Secretary of Education.

In the city of São Paulo, the reopening of schools for reinforcement activities was prohibited by Mayor Bruno Covas (PSDB). In addition to the municipal schools, it was also prohibited to return to classes in the state and private schools of the municipality based on the result of a serological survey conducted by the city government of students of the municipal network. The study pointed out that the return to face-to-face classes, although with restrictions, represents a greater risk of contamination by Covid-19 in the municipality. Covas did not rule out the possibility of returning in October.

Schools that will reopen in this September 8th for optional activities they must respect the following rules:

• receive up to 35% of its capacity for students of Infant and Primary Education and in the initial years;
• receive up to 20% of their capacity for high school students and final courses.
• Keep the distance of 1.5 meters between students.
• It establishes entry and exit times that will be organized to avoid crowds, and will preferably be outside the peak hours of public transport.
• Breaks and breaks should always be done in rotation of classes with alternate schedules.
• Physical Education activities are allowed as long as the 1.5 meter distance is met. They should be carried out, preferably, outdoors and taking care of the hygiene of the equipment.
• It is recommended that distance education continue in combination with the gradual return in person.
• The use of a mask is mandatory for everyone within the institution and on school transport.
• The Institution must provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to employees.
• The drinking fountain is prohibited. Drinking water must be provided individually. Everyone should have their cup or jug.
• Restrooms, sinks, and changing rooms must be cleaned before opening, after closing, and every three hours.
• Trash must be removed at least three times a day.
• Surfaces that many people touch should be cleaned each shift.
• The rooms should be kept ventilated with open windows and doors, avoiding touching knobs and locks.

The distance has exceptions, as in the case of early childhood education and nurseries, where there is no way to maintain this distance between babies and caregivers.

In a note, the State Department of Education said on Monday (7) that it acquired a series of supplies destined for both the students and the servers of the public schools of the state network that will reopen.

Among the equipment purchased, according to the agency, are 12 million cloth masks, 300,000 face shields (acrylic mask), 10,168 laser thermometers, 10,000 gel alcohol totems, 221,000 liters of liquid soap, 78 million disposable glasses, 112,000 liters of alcohol gel and 100 million units of paper towels.

The material, according to the secretariat, aims to ensure the safety of students and employees of the network.

In early August, the government postponed going back to school until October 7. Initially, the date would be September 8, but the state government modified it on the recommendation of the Coronavirus Contingency Center to guarantee a greater margin of safety for children, adolescents, teachers, managers and professionals of the public and private educational network and relatives, according to Governor João Doria (PSDB).

For classes to resume in the state, it is also necessary that in the first 14 days 80% of the state’s population is in the yellow phase and in the other 14, 100%.

The refund will be made based on the rotation of students defined by the schools themselves and divided into three stages of resumption:

• Phase One: Only 35% of the students in each class will be able to attend schools every day. That is, one day a group goes, the other day another. But the Secretariat did not say which rotating model schools they should be inspired by.
• Second phase: up to 70% of students will be able to attend schools every day.
• Third phase: 100% of students can return to classrooms.

According to the Secretary of Education of the State of São Paulo, the series that will have priority for return are:

• 1st and 2nd year of Primary, which is the literacy period;
• 5th and 9th year of Primary;
• 3rd grade high school

To begin the reopening of the state on June 1, the government divided the territory according to the 17 Regional Health Divisions (DRS). Greater São Paulo was subdivided into 6 other regions, one for the capital and another 5 for each group of cities in the Metropolitan Region. Quarantine flexibility is done differently in each of these regions.

The criteria underlying the classification of regions are:

• bed occupancy in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU);
• total beds per 100 thousand inhabitants;
• variation in new admissions compared to the previous week;
• variation of new confirmed cases compared to the previous week;
• variation in new confirmed deaths compared to the previous week.
• In the green phase, deaths and cases are also considered per 100 thousand inhabitants;
• The regions that reach phases 3 (Yellow) or 4 (Green) will remain in these phases as long as they have weekly indicators below 40 hospitalizations for Covid-19 per 100,000 inhabitants and 5 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

These criteria define which of the five phases of reopening permits the region is in:

• Phase 1 – Red: High Alert
• Phase 2 – Orange: Control
• Phase 3 – Yellow: Flexibility
• Phase 4 – Green: Partial opening
• Phase 5 – Blue: Normal controlled

Reopening of sectors of the economy:

• Red phase: only essential services are allowed to function.
• Orange phase: Real estate agents, dealers, offices, shops and shopping centers can also reopen, but with restrictions.
• Yellow phase: Beauty salons, bars, restaurants, gyms, parks and cultural activities with a seated public can also reopen, but with restrictions.
• Green phase: Events, conventions and cultural activities with standing public can also be reopened, which can happen again when there is a four-week stability of the state of São Paulo in the green phase (4), also with restrictions.