Director’s message 31

Special Note from the Director:

RE: School Reopening on Monday, January 18th: 8:00 – 3:15. (Normal Full School Day.)

January 18, 2021

As we resumed on-campus learning this morning, we’d like to remind you of our updated policies regarding exposure to COVID-19:

  • Anyone who has been in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case needs to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days before returning to school. Alternatively, they may produce a negative PCR test, confirmed by the Director and the school nurse.
  • This means that if anyone in your household, including family members, household help, and any other extended family members or friends, has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been in contact with your student, then they should not return to school before 14 days have passed since the last contact with the person who tested positive.
  • Also, please note we have adjusted our return to our school campus protocol. As several students, parents, and staff have proactively and positively discussed this with me, our formal protocol did not provide EQUITY. That was not only keeping with the school mission and vision, it was also not part of our 5 C’s Guiding Principles: Communication, Critical Thinking, Creativity, Community and Collaboration. Also, among our faculty, I kept hearing the reframe “we want our students back.” Therefore, we will follow the same policy for all students at the International School of Ouagadougou (regardless of if they traveled or not, as community transmission is presently the main spread of the pandemic here in Burkina Faso). Thus, we will provide five days of distance learning to all students before returning to campus.

We are making this change for two reasons:

  1. The students were great in complying with our enhanced health and hygiene standards. (Please see pictures of the Snack Shack’s new social distancing protocols)
  2. We have both, students returning to Burkina Faso, as well as families who have shared that their students have been exposed to a confirmed Covid-19 case. It is about 50/50, and in short, all your teachers and I appreciate your honesty.

Therefore, in order to support community (and equity), we will also do one week of distance learning for those students who just returned. We appreciate your support in following our school policies, and we do acknowledge that we ALL seek to continue to provide safe, on-campus learning.


As Director, I want to thank all the parents who returned after the break ended for informing both the community relations officer (cro@iso.bf) and me of when you officially entered the country.

I look forward to seeing everybody – who have not been in contact with a confirmed case – back on campus!!

Jeff

Important Dates:

Tomorrow: January 19th. 18:00 Assembly Room. Board Meeting – Agenda Sent.