In-Person School Learning in 2020

Let’s face it. The year 2020 has created challenges for all of us. From people getting sick to others losing their jobs or businesses, we’re all going through something. For many reasons, one industry in particular that people are paying attention to is education. If you are a parent or teacher facing the struggle of educating your kids in the current times, you are not alone. For some tips, here’s how one of our customers, St. John and Paul School, was able to reopen their private school for in-person learning despite facing the pandemic of 2020.

Challenge

Some teachers believe that the best education for their kids happens when they are in-person with them. The teachers at St. John and Paul strived to make that type of education a reality for their school year, even though there was confusion about how to do it. Fortunately, because of New York’s low COVID-19 infection rates, they were allowed to reopen their premises. However, like most public facilities back in business, there are still stricter rules in place. For instance, everyone inside this school must wear a mask and also remain six feet apart from each other.

Since there is still plenty of uncertainty with the virus, this school also offers its students to take online classes. However, only 6% of their students/parents opted to stay home. The remaining 94% of their student population chose in-person school learning.

Not only are the vast majority of their students returning to school, but they also had an increase in their enrollment due to schools around them closing or opting for online classes only. By combining the additional registration with new social distancing requirements, it’s safe to say classroom space is incredibly tight. This school needed a way to house all of these students safely and effectively.

Solution

As a temporary solution, administrators at this school decided to use their gymnasium for extra classroom space. The goal was to divide this large space into four separate classrooms. With the new spacing requirements and additional students, the overflow amounted to around fifty to sixty kids in the gymnasium at one time. In the most efficient way possible, they were looking for some dividers to limit distractions and separate each class.

When they reached out to Screenflex, we were more than happy to assist them with finding the perfect products for their needs. Since their space was so extensive, we worked with them on a free design plan to see how our portable walls would best fit in their room. By communicating back and forth with our Sales Representative, Lourdes, they ultimately decided to purchase ten dividers for their gym.

In-Person Learning

By creating extra classroom space and following safety guidelines, St. John and Paul School are accomplishing the remarkable by currently offering full five-day in-person learning. While the portable dividers do a great job separating all the classrooms and absorbing some sound, the gym’s vaulted ceilings still create a loud atmosphere when so many students occupy it all at once. These teachers therefore combine using their partitions and the option for students to log into Google Meet as well. All of the students were also provided with a Bluetooth headset to help them hear their teachers when they speak.

Anthony Scotti, a tech coach and teacher at the school, said this about how the dividers have helped them: “Screenflex dividers are allowing us at St. John and Paul to have full-five days of in-person instruction.” While he also mentioned that the situation was not ideal, his school chose to make the best of it and do whatever they could for their kids. Some teachers are also choosing to decorate the space by hanging up posters on the partitions as well. As the pictures show, even the smallest actions make this new space a little more comfortable and classroom-like.

We are happy that our products helped this school and its students foster a safe learning place in such a confusing time.