Nationwide, school districts are making plans for kids to go back to school. Some districts have already returned, and the spread of COVID-19 is proving to be a concern. To help lower the risk of the spread, school districts are coming up with different ways to separate students. It’s a challenging time for everyone.
In some areas, schools plan to mix up days that kids go to class. Half a classroom will go Monday and Tuesday and learn from home for the rest of the week. The other half will go Thursday and Friday and learn from home for the rest of the week. The goal is to minimize the number of students in a classroom together. It’s a good step, but it’s just a start. Health checks and daily temperature readings are also going to become the norm for students and teachers.
Masks are another step schools are taking. Students are supposed to wear masks throughout the day. Masks have to cover the nose and mouth, and students have to keep them on during bus rides and in the classroom. Meals will not likely be served in lunchrooms for many children, and recess will not be the same.
Classroom divider curtains are just as important to help protect students. If your school district hasn’t discussed classroom COVID-19 divider curtains, it’s time to bring it up as another safety measure. By creating waterproof walls that help with social distancing, it may help stop the spread.
Other areas are waiting until after Labor Day to resume. Parents may have the option of choosing a hybrid model for their child or virtual learning from home. Different districts have different rules, so teachers are still learning about the number of students they’ll have each day and how many COVID-19 dividers are necessary to keep students protected.
Plans need to be made. Since some schools have reopened, quarantines have been increasing. Outside of Atlanta, one district had to quarantine more than 1,200 children and teachers. In Oklahoma, a student is reported to have gone back to school even though he knew he had COVID.
Time for planning is running out in some areas. Some schools, such as Georgia and Alabama, already have seen students return to classrooms. You may have seen the photos a high schooler took of crowded hallways and many teens in no masks. Those photos have helped establish how hard it is going to be to ensure social distancing and safety as kids return to school. It’s a learning curve for everyone, so it’s expected that there will be bumps along the way.
As teachers struggle to determine how they can best help their students adjust, plans are being made to transform classrooms into the safest places they can be. A multi-faceted approach through the use of masks, hand sanitizing stations, classroom dividers, and social distancing may end up being the safest way to get kids back into school.
Why Should You Have Divider Curtains in Your Classroom?
Why are classroom divider curtains something you have to consider? Back in 2014, MIT released a study on coughs and sneezes. They expected that when someone coughed or sneezed that the droplets from those actions would travel around six feet. In the study, it proved true that the larger droplets did travel that far, but finer droplets in the cloud of spray traveled five times farther than that.
While the CDC guidelines are to keep six feet apart to stop the spread of COVID-19, it’s ideal to put up barriers. By placing barriers around desks, it limits those droplets that spread through talking, sneezing, or coughing to one desk. It keeps saliva’s path from expanding beyond the range of the desk. At the end of the day, cleaners can go through and sanitize the desk, chair, and divider curtains in preparation for the next day of classes.
Choose Waterproof, Mildew Resistant Tarps That Don’t Tear Easily
When choosing a divider curtain for your classroom, you want a tarp that is waterproof and long enough to protect from floor-to-ceiling when possible. Waterproof is the most important feature. You do not want a material that will absorb body fluids. A surface that can be wiped clean is equally important. Teachers or school maintenance workers will be wiping down desks, curtains, and other potentially contaminated surfaces every day. Easy-to-clean tarps make this task easy.
In an outdoor classroom, there is no ceiling to work with, but you should at least have a height of six feet. Inside, high ceilings, such as in a gym, may make it hard to go that high, but do the best you can.
A thick tarp that doesn’t rip or tear and resists damage from abrasion is also ideal. If you’re looking to brighten up an area, 18-ounce vinyl coated polyester tarps are thick and durable. They are mildew resistant and waterproof. Buy them in sizes ranging from 5 by 7 feet to 10 by 16 feet. They come in eight colors and can be used outside if you’re setting up an outside classroom. Custom sizes are also available if needed.
While 18-ounce vinyl coated polyester tarps are a good choice for classroom dividers that protect against COVID-19, there’s a better option. A tarp that’s see-through and lets light in is ideal for your classroom curtains.
Clear PVC Tarps Make the Best Classroom Divider Curtains
If you’re looking for the best material for your classroom divider curtains, you won’t find a better material than clear PVC tarp. This material resists rips and tears. It’s abrasion-resistant and doesn’t allow water through. Not only is it waterproof, but it’s also resistant to mildew. Best of all, it’s clear. Teachers can see what students are doing and know if a student has taken his or her mask off.
Clear PVC curtains come in custom sizes or finish sizes from 6 by 8 feet to 10 by 12 feet. They have grommets spaced on all edges approximately 24 inches apart, which makes them easy to hang from ceilings. You could also purchase curtain track hardware in sizes ranging from 2 to 8 feet or 9 to 16 feet if your school doesn’t have a system in place for hanging curtains from the classroom ceilings.
Are you trying to keep costs down? Some school districts are purchasing PVC pipe stands and using rubber tie-downs to put up waterproof tarps on those pipe stands. Those dividers are then placed between desks and class areas for coronavirus protection. If that’s your goal, a custom-sized tarp makes it easy to get the right fit for your stand.
Some schools are moving classrooms to outside settings when possible. The idea of being out in the open makes it easier to space students appropriately while adhering to the 6-foot social distancing guidelines. Clear PVC tarps are UV-treated, so while they are clear, the sun’s rays won’t damage the tarp. Use them to add waterproof walls to outdoor structures. Use the clear PVC tarp to create a roof over an outdoor area without reducing the natural light that’s needed for students to see what they’re doing.
If you need a custom clear PVC tarp or vinyl-coated tarp for your classroom’s divider curtains, Chicago Canvas offers custom sizes. Let us know what sizes you need, and we’ll help you get the best tarp for your classroom. We offer free quotes and can get you the tarps you need for COVID-19 protection for both inside and outside classroom settings.