Non-discrimination policy

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS. The International School of Djibouti admits students of any race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. ISD doesn't discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

Health and hygeine policy

ISD engages in a number of actions to maintain a safe and healthy environment for students, staff, parents, and visitors:

Students and staff are required to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer after using the bathroom, and before eating. ISD will maintain an adequate supply of hand soap in all bathrooms, and of hand sanitizer all classrooms. Staff will teach and reinforce proper hand-washing techniques to students.

ISD will maintain a clean school environment through regular, frequent cleaning of classrooms and common areas, and maintains a sufficient supply of cleaning products in classrooms, the library, and offices.

Students and staff should sneeze and cough into their elbow, not into their hands. Also, ISD will maintain an adequate supply of tissues in all classrooms. Staff will teach and reinforce with students how to safely cover coughs and sneezes.

A majority of ISD's staff is CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and first aid certified. If you are interested in CPR-first aid training please contact ISD, as our staff is able to provide it through the following program: https://www.emssafetyservices.com.
ISD knows we have a diverse population and different countries have various vaccination requirements for children. Please check with your medical provider to make sure your child is up to date with their vaccines. If you have questions about vaccination schedules or how to obtain in Djibouti, please ask our staff.

ISD hopes all our students remain healthy throughout the school year but we know there will be unplanned illnesses. Students and staff should not come to school if they are feeling unwell. If your child needs to miss one or more days of school due to sickness, please contact a member of ISD's administration so we can inform teachers.

If your child feels sick during the school day and staff feel that they should go home, ISD will call parents and provide a place for the child to rest while waiting to be picked up. We are able to provide minimal first aid at the school and have several nurses and doctors on an on-call list. Should your child require immediate and emergency intervention (in the case of severe sickness or accident), they will be taken to the location of your designation (please see the Medical Permission form). If you don’t have a preferred medical provider, they will be taken to the SDMS Clinic.

ISD's COVID-19 policies are fluid due to the changing requirements of local government as well as global standards for community health, including best practices for schools. We know that mental and emotional health, academic and social skill development, and language acquisition can suffer, and as a result of gaps in education, which can cause significant harm to children as much or more than the risk of transmittable diseases. We want to make every effort therefore to avert gaps in enrollment for as many students as possible. Thus if a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19 they may return 5 days after the positive test if they are asymptomatic at that time; if they are still symptomatic they need to wait to return until they are asymptomatic. If a student or staff member comes into close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, they are still allowed to come to school as long as they are asymptomatic and begin social distancing from the infected person. ISD's current mask/face covering policy is that these are not required; however, families who feel that their children should be masked should take that precaution. Additionally, we encourage frequent thorough hand washing and hand sanitizing, as well as sanitizing of classrooms. All community members should be in communication with ISD of regarding any contagious illnesses (COVID, influenza, etc.) in their community household so that we can encourage social distancing and proper hygiene for students and staff. Students and staff exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 (including fever, dry cough, sore throat, breathing problems, loss of sense of smell/taste) will be sent home immediately. If needed they will stay in an isolated area at school before they are able to leave the school campus. Families are free to keep their children home for more time than is required by ISD's policy according to their personal, workplace, or other standards.

Tuition policies

The tuition policies of the International School of Djibouti are a part of the by-laws validated by the President and board of directors. Current rates can be found on our tuition page.

1. No tuition will be reimbursed after the beginning of each term.

2. Optional monthly payment plans are to be negotiated with the director of the school.

3. Failure to pay tuition may result in expulsion of the student in question.

4. Invoices that are unpaid by the due date will be assessed a late fee of 5%.

5. Guaranteed enrollment for subsequent academic years requires a 50,000 DJF ($282) deposit. This is deducted from first term tuition.

6. Parents with multiple children receive a 10% discount for the tuition of each additional child.

7. Tuition waivers are considered on a case by case basis by the finance commission of the board of directors. To receive a waiver or reduction for one year does not guarantee a tuition waver for subsequent years. Application for a waiver/reduction requires a written letter addressed to the tuition committee explaining your need and reasons for requesting a waiver. Please detail the amount (if any) you’re able to pay in the letter. Submit your request to the school director to transmit to the committee.

8. Diplomatic, governmental, and for-profit organizations that pay for staff to enroll their children at ISD will be assessed an additional fee of $10,000 for guaranteed enrollment.

9. Djiboutian passport holders will be given a tuition reduction of up to 20%.

10. All tuition must be paid in full in Djiboutian Franc or USD according to the bill, regardless of exchange rates or banking fees. Often when transferring from one currency to another, there can be a significant difference in exchange rate from day to day.