CA principal on school reopenings: 'Instead of reinventing the wheel,' US educators should take page from Europe
Principal Patrick Daly says Europe has 'very good' health and safety guidelines
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A California educator is taking a page from across the pond in order to safely reopen his facility amid the coronavirus pandemic -- and he's advising others to follow suit.
In a Wednesday interview on "Fox & Friends," St. Vincent De Paul High School Principal Patrick Daly said he had followed state and local health guidelines, as well as the advice of the federal government to do so.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Daly was an attendee at a Tuesday roundtable discussion with President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Second Lady Karen Pence, and other educational and health professionals who discussed potential steps to a widespread reopening.
Students wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing at a classroom during the first day of school reopening at a high school in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Wednesday, June 24, 2020. Malaysia began reopening schools Wednesday while entering the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) after three months of coronavirus restrictions. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
"Well, one of the things I thought was really beneficial that day was the round table think tank that included the physicians -- that included the director of the CDC [Robert Redfield] and his statement that they never ordered the schools closed," he said.
"I think one of the most empowering speeches yesterday was from the second lady. And, the second lady, [who] was a teacher herself, really did a wonderful job talking about you know the concerns she has for the mental health and the anxiety that students are experiencing throughout the nation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"And, I think one of the most powerful voices yesterday was our sophomore, Cameron Vaughn, at St. Vincent De Paul high school in Petaluma. Cameron spoke on behalf of students and I thought he gave a very empowered speech on why it's so important to return," he said.
Daly told "Friends" that St. Vincent De Paul has essentially opened up already with summer camps and practices in full swing.
"Everything is based on the guidelines from handwashing to social distancing to one coach to 10 students in a pod to making sure all our equipment [is] sanitized," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to Daly, they had "figured it out." But they had some help from overseas.
"So, we looked at schools throughout the rest of the world. We looked at our sister school...we looked over at Australia, we looked at schools in the Netherlands. What were they doing in policies and procedures in place?" he asked.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"So, instead of reinventing the wheel, I think they have some very good guidelines over there in Europe that we can follow here in the United States as well," Daly said. "Always focusing on the health and safety of our students."