Back to the classroom for Ellerslie students

Acting Principal of the Ellerslie Secondary School Dr Wendy Lewis is taking no chances with the safety of her students and has pledged strict enforcement of protocols as students officially returned to the classroom on Monday.

The return to classes follows a massive Coronavirus (COVID -19) contact tracing exercise that led to a two-week closure of the institution.

According to Dr Lewis, the school is only allowing 460 students (half of its roll) on the compound at a time to ensure strict physical distancing. The wearing of masks and continuous sanitization will also be maintained, which is consistent with the Ministry of Education’s stipulations.

The decision to close the Black Rock St Michael institution was taken in early October when two students connected to a cluster of COVID-19 cases tested positive for the dreaded virus. Prior to Monday’s reopening, the school underwent five days of industrial cleaning. This was followed by thorough examination from the ministries of health and education.  According to Dr Lewis, ancillary staff will continue the process of cleaning and maintenance.

“The children are all settled. They have returned to class and they will be following the protocols. So it will be business as usual at school. So far, we have been walking around the compound and every person has been complying,” Dr Lewis told reporters.

“They had two weeks at home and now everybody is calm and ready to resume work,” she added.

The principal explained that the entire school has been split into two groups with one half attending classes while the other half receives online instruction. This is to ensure that no face-to-face class has more than 16 students present at any time.
(KS)