Our Family, Learning Together Every Day

Dear Parents and ISB Community,

The following protocols were updated February 2022 as the Omicron wave is decreasing, and Governments around the world are beginning to reduce their measures.

Below are our protocols and guidelines currently in place for the ISB campus for the 2022 school year. The ISB Covid-19 protocols are guided by the following principles:

The health and well-being of our students, staff and community will always be our priority.
We will follow the directives of the relevant Serbian Ministries.
We will follow advice from the WHO, CDC and ECDC.
We will consider the experiences of other CEESA schools, similar international schools around the world, and the US Department of State.

I would like to ask for your help, understanding and support. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has become very politicized around the world. In addition, social media has resulted in many opinions becoming quite polarized. There may be some elements of our plan that you do not agree with, or are inconveniencing. If we can all continue to work together as a community, we will continue to have a school that is open for all students, all day, everyday. Our strength has always been our community and that has never been more important than now.

As we continue to update this plan, we listen to and value your feedback. These are our main considerations for our plan:

School environments pose a significant risk to the transmission of the virus, especially during flu season. We must take this very seriously.

Our international community poses a higher risk than other schools due to the transient and travelling nature of our staff, students and parents.

Our plan continues to prioritize all students at school, all day, every day, learning the full curriculum.

We operate now as an open campus school with all preventive measures in place following Government guidelines

Here are some examples of things we would like everyone to consider to help us all stay healthy and safe:

Think of all of our students as your own children and our community as your extended family. This is our shared responsibility.
The Government recommends all children over the age of 12 should be vaccinated.
If your child has ANY symptoms, please DO NOT send them to school. This is especially important during Flu season.

This is our school, this is our family, and we must all work together to keep everyone safe and healthy and to continue to keep our school open. We thank you for your support!

Outline Summary of the Key Elements of our ISB Covid-19 Protocols:

The health and well-being of our students, staff and community will always be our priority.
All staff, teaching and non-teaching, will be expected to be vaccinated.
Following Serbian Government reccommendations, we strongly advise all students over the age of 12 to be vaccinated.
If your child has any Covid symptoms, they must stay at home. They will need to visit their Doctor who will decide on the appropriate course of action. The Doctor’s medical clearance note will be required to return to school. A PCR test will only be required if requested by their Doctor.
According to Serbian regulations, all direct contacts and close family members may come to school. In case symptoms appear, they must remain home and follow their doctor’s recommendations. If covid positive, they must be isolated for 7 days and return to school with a medical clearance note.

In all cases, you are requested to inform the relevant Principal and Dr Lilly when your child is staying at home and when they are returning to school
Please note that the Government may change their requirements at any time.
We will follow the Government guidelines for mask wearing.
If any child, in any Grade tests postive for Covid-19, we follow the Governernment guidelines.
Here is a link to the most up to date Serbian Government Guidelines

Continuous Review

We will continue to be as clear as possible with our protocols and communication, but we cannot think of every eventuality.

If we perceive a specific health risk, or the situation changes, our protocols and requirements (including requiring children to learn virtually) may need to change at any time.

Please also note that these plans may need to change at any time as the situation evolves or as Government mandates change.

Thank you all for your support through these difficult times. We feel confident that we can operate a normal school day daily. But, to do so safely, we need your cooperation, understanding and continued support, especially in the initial period.

Warm regards

Andrew

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