Hats off to America’s school administrators – what you’re doing is working. Although we’ve seen pockets throughout the country that have experienced COVID-19 spikes, school districts have largely controlled its spread through aggressive social distancing measures and science-based precautions.
But as we get into the fall, maintaining this balance won’t be easy. The onset of the traditional flu and allergy season will apply a greater strain on schools as they work to keep sick students out of their classrooms. Recently, STOPit Solutions announced the launch of a new mobile app that is helping schools do that: The SafeScreen COVID-19 Health Reporting System.
Each day, SafeScreen sends users an email or text requesting that they answer a series of questions guided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the system’s Health Screener. Once completed, the user instantly is informed if they are “clear to enter” or “do not enter.” If they are clear, they receive a color-coded “entry pass” to display as they enter school or work. If they receive a “do not enter” pass, then the system administrator is notified and reaches out, via our 2-way chat feature or phone, to assess the situation and provide next steps. The entire screening process takes less than a minute to complete each day.
The HIPPA-compliant system is inexpensive (less than 50 cents on average for every student), can be implemented in 1-4 days, and can potentially save lives. Here are some of the ways it can make a difference.
Keeping Sick Students Home
Mask requirements. Plexiglass desk partitions. Outdoor classrooms. Schools have been thorough and creative in making social distancing measures work on their campuses, but even the best of them can’t totally prevent COVID’s spread if there are infected students in class. SafeScreen cuts that risk by helping to ensure infected students never set foot on school grounds.
Gathering Critical Data
Districts can collect a trove of data to spot critical trends by students and staff members filling out their Health Screener questions every day. For example, administrators can use the data to identify spikes in illnesses – whether it be COVID-19 or something less concerning – in specific schools, classes, bus routes or other vectors.
Minimizing Exposure
Many schools and businesses are attempting to filter out unhealthy entrants at their own front doors. Equipped with thermometers and questionnaires, these front-line workers can’t do their jobs without getting physically close to the people they’re screening. SafeScreen eliminates the need for any in-person contact.
Breaking up the Lines
In-person screening procedures like the one mentioned above are also a time drain for schools and businesses. The process of checking each entrant one by one means students or workers have to show up earlier or that precious time that should have been spent in the classroom or office is instead wasted standing in socially-distanced lines. With SafeScreen, a student can answer the necessary questions at home and quickly flash their “clear to enter” screens before boarding the bus or setting foot in school.
Get the Answers You Need
SafeScreen offers school systems and organizations the flexibility to consider their own unique data collection needs. The Health Screener is programmed to ask a set of CDC and NIH-based questions which can’t be changed, but administrators can add any questions to it they want. If you have an important message to add about a COVID-19 development or new social distancing requirement, you can share it through the app and require users to click to acknowledge they’ve read it.
For More Information
To learn more about how SafeScreen can keep your school or organization COVID-free, visit our SafeScreen web page or read through our thorough FAQs page. Contact STOPit with additional questions or to arrange a demonstration by calling 855-999-0932 or emailing sales@stopitsolutions.com.