The bell rang, and the start of the school year took place in person for the vast majority of the 956 students of the Claudel high school.

students and for the teachers, who have not attended the school since March 16th. Obviously, nothing will be “as before”, but it is up to us not to suffer this situation and, in the absence of a return to normal, to adapt to this new normality.

Everything possible has been done to ensure a safe, healthy environment for students and staff alike, one that is conducive to quality teaching and the development of all.

The respect of sanitary rules is therefore more than ever our priority.

Accomodations :

During the summer, many changes were made at Lycée Claudel to prepare for the new school year.

• The common areas (corridors, entrance hall, dining room, playground, …) have been divided into distinct zones to facilitate the respect of physical distance.
• Implementation of a circulation plan materialized on the ground: circulation in the corridors and staircases is now one-way.
• The capacity of the rooms has been reduced. For example, the capacity of the school restaurant has been reduced from 288 to 100 seats.
• Creation of new classrooms to allow a significant decrease in the number of students in each room.
• Classrooms are equipped with individual desks or dividers to limit physical contact

Hygiene measures:

Specific measures and protocols have been put in place:

• Wearing of the mask is mandatory for all from the age of 9 years old.
• Installation of hydroalcoholic solution dispensers in all classrooms, as well as in places of passage (corridors…).
• Implementation of an online self-screening questionnaire developed by Ottawa Public Health, to be completed by everyone before entering the facility.
• Training of all staff on cleaning protocols and expectations.
• Routine disinfection of school furniture every night.
• Purchase of an electrostatic disinfection device: an electrostatically charged mist is sprayed by the device on surfaces and objects. This mist, which contains positively charged particles, is capable of adhering easily and covering the entire surface. This method makes it possible to simply and effectively disinfect any irregularly shaped object and to reach places that are usually difficult to access.
• Continuous monitoring of adequate ventilation: air balance reports allow us to verify that each room or area receives the optimal volume of fresh air. Our ventilatiobn is connected to a computerized control system that continuously monitors operations, including fan speeds, and instantly notifies us of any potential failures.
• The facility complies with Ottawa Public Health recommendations and our actions are based on ASHRAE standards (Ashrae 62.1 guidelines) which exceed the restrictions already imposed on our buildings.

Eduactional measures:

The establishment respects the choices and sensitivities of each person, so several measures have been put in place:

• Possibility for students to attend classes from a distance. Each class is filmed and transmitted live. The student connects and attends the class: he can interact with his teacher, listen to questions asked by his classmates or see what is noted or projected on the board. He therefore follows the same classes as his classmates, and follows the same timetable.
• In elementary school, the “School at home” system allows children to be monitored during a daily videoconference session with a support teacher who accompanies the students in their work and ensures the link with the class based on the weekly program transmitted by the class teacher; the teacher makes a weekly assessment by videoconference with his students.
• Creation of 6 additional classes in CE1, CM1, 6ème, 5ème, 4ème and 3ème to allow a significant reduction in the number of students per class.

Staff reinforcement:

The Lycée Claudel has hired new staff (teaching assistants, teachers, nurse, supervisor) in order to strengthen the monitoring of students, to implement these new protocols and to ensure compliance.

In particular, the school has enlisted the services of Ms. Louise Dumas, Research Professor at the Université du Québec en Outaouais, who has greatly contributed to the implementation of the protocol.