Student Health & Safety

Stanley Prep places a high priority on the wellbeing, safety, and security of participants in its study abroad programs. Although neither Stanley Prep nor its host institutions can promise a risk-free environment, we make every effort to protect our participants’ safety and wellbeing throughout the entire program. In order to lower risk for study abroad participants, Stanley Prep takes careful precautions to make sure that all forms of transportation, accommodation, medical facilities, communications, and emergency protocols are in place.

 Stanley Prep is strongly devoted to providing this assistance, but we also make it clear to students, teachers, and parents that each program participant is ultimately responsible for their own safety and security. This is emphasized prior to departure, during on-site orientation, and during the course of the students’ stay in the hosting country. At orientation, students are reminded to apply common sense, be mindful of their surroundings, and refrain from abusing alcohol or drugs, which might put them in danger. When going overseas, one should use the same prudence that they would at home in the United States.

Staff Assistance

The most of Stanley Prep’s overseas locations use local staff. All, without exception, are quite informed with the facilities, customs, support services, and locals because the majority were all raised in the program city. On all Stanley Prep programs, a staff to student ratio of 1:20 is maintained with very few exceptions, and staff members are on call around the clock to attend to program participants’ needs. Each primary Stanley Prep Resident Director also gets access to a cell phone, at least two landlines (one each for their home and office), and email services.

 Parents, faculty members, and students may all get Stanley Prep help in the U.S. around-the-clock. The U.S.-based Stanley Prep offices can be reached from Monday through Thursday from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Pacific time and from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Friday. The U.S.-based Stanley Prep emergency contact who is on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, may be reached at that number on the weekend and in the evenings. Responding to emergency calls and providing appropriate responses in accordance with Stanley Prep emergency rules is a joint effort between the Stanley Prep Director of Health, Safety, and Security and Stanley Prep personnel.

 Whenever a program participant has to visit the hospital or a doctor, the Stanley Prep on-site staff helps the students. The on-site staff will help the student make the appointment, go with them when they visit, and support them in any other manner they need. They will also make sure the student is informed of all the steps necessary to submit a claim for payment for medical services.

Safety Orientation

As soon as a student is accepted into the program, we start providing them with safety information before their departure. Following the deadline for submission of the final paperwork and payment for their particular program, students will get more information via their online orientation. The pre-departure orientation provided by Stanley Prep online covers a wide range of useful information and offers advice on safety measures, connections to various health and safety resources, and crucial Stanley Prep information for emergency circumstances.

 Students are given the names and pictures of the Stanley Prep on-site employees or drivers who will be receiving them at the airport before they leave the United States (if applicable). Students are urged to only take rides from the designated persons and are provided thorough information regarding their airport pickup and transportation (if required). The on-site Stanley Prep resident staff hosts an orientation meeting for the students as soon as they arrive at the program location to give helpful information on acclimating to the host culture as well as emergency crisis measures.

 All students receive instructions from the staff on what to do in case of a political crisis, terrorist attack, natural dStanley Prepster, or other emergency. Upon arrival in-country, each program participant receives a Contact Card that lists the names and mobile numbers of all on-site Stanley Prep staff members, the appropriate U.S. embassy contact information and address, the top-rated nearby hospitals, and the equivalent local number to the U.S. emergency “911” number. When enrolled in the program, students are highly advised to keep their contact card on them at all times. Students are given the names, contact information, and hours of the local medical facilities during orientation. Medical facilities are suggested based on their level of experience treating American students, accessibility to the places where students reside and/or the university or learning center, and the quality of their services.

Insurance

The cost of the program includes a blanket accident and sickness insurance policy that protects the participant for the duration of the program’s official on-site portion. Each and every Stanley Prep participant will be covered by this plan; it is not an optional benefit. Here is a thorough explanation of the coverage.

We advise all program participants to keep full-coverage health insurance while traveling. This is vital for those with pre-existing ailments, but it’s also crucial if the person becomes sick or hurt while traveling and needs further medical attention when they get home.

Lodging

Although there are no completely risk-free neighborhoods in any American or overseas city, Stanley Prep‘s student housing options are located in what are thought to be lower-risk neighborhoods. On excursions led by Stanley Prep, the same attention is paid to housing arrangements. Accommodations are chosen based on their closeness to the destinations to be visited as well as the safety of the neighborhood in which they are situated. Before to their departure, every student is given information about their host family or lodging arrangements as well as a contact phone number in case a family member back home in the United States wants to get in touch with them.

Transportation

For Stanley Prep-sponsored travel, Stanley Prep consistently chooses the safest and most dependable modes of transportation (bus and airline). The transportation companies are chosen in accordance with their past safety records, insurance coverage, administrative timeliness, and the mutual confidence that has grown as a result of their long-standing partnerships with Stanley Prep. The advice from reliable external consultants is utilized by Stanley Prep when choosing a transportation provider.

Security Levels

Stanley Prep headquarters and on-site employees continuously keep a close eye on Country Specific Risk Indicators and Travel Advisories issued by the U.S. State Department (DOS). The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as material from reliable security analytic services, regional governments, and media organizations, are all frequently reviewed by Stanley Prep.

 United States State Department Travel Advisories

The DOS revised previous instructions and put into place a new system in January 2018 to help Americans understand crucial information about travel security. For every nation in the world, the DOS has issued an advisory level using this new, 4-tiered, color-coded approach. The following are the advisory levels:

Level 1 – Exercise Normal Precautions (blue)

Level 2 – Exercise Increased Caution (yellow)

Level 3 – Reconsider Travel (orange)

Level 4 – Do Not Travel (red)

 The DOS offers precise information on any risk indicators impacting each nation, in addition to its advisory level, and recommendations on what visitors may do to ensure their personal safety both before they travel and while they are overseas. All students and their families are urged by Stanley Prep to carefully read the DOS country-specific material for both their program country and any other countries to which they may want to travel independently while studying abroad. The Travel.State.Gov website has this information. In order to be fully prepared for their program, Stanley Prep also suggests that students carefully study the Health and Safety parts of the Online Orientation in their Stanley Prep Student Portal.

 In order to stay informed of important announcements made by the local embassy or consulate office and to aid the embassy in contacting students in an emergency, all students are required to enroll in the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). They are also strongly encouraged to register all independent travel with STEP.

 Helpful resources for students include:

 Department of State, Students Abroad:

https://travel.state.gov/content/studentsabroad/en.html

 Department of State, Smart Traveler Enrollment Program:

https://step.state.gov/step/

 Department of State, World Map:

https://travelmaps.state.gov/TSGMap/

 U.S. State Department Alert Issued for an Stanley Prep Program Country

The primary course of action for Stanley Prep will be to cancel the program and carry out evacuation procedures if the U.S. State Department issues an official Alert for an Stanley Prep site and the message includes an official State Department recommendation that all U.S. citizens evacuate the country. The primary decision made by Stanley Prep is to suspend the program if it hasn’t already begun. Stanley Prep management may make an exception if the alert’s phrasing provides convincing evidence that the threats causing the warning are located far beyond the city or cities where our program is in operation.

 Region-Specific Travel Limitations for Stanley Abroad

 All participating students in Stanley Abroad are subject to strict safety regulations, hence Stanley Abroad has restricted independent travel to specific regions of the globe. While their participation in a Stanley Abroad program, participants are not permitted to independently enter or travel via the following regions:

 LAST UPDATE: 12/8/22

To decide whether or not to limit travel to a certain area, Stanley Abroad considers a wide range of factors. The restriction may be based on an ongoing issue that poses a direct risk to participants in Stanley Abroad, unsafe areas of the nation for participants in Stanley Abroad, the dearth of services for US residents, or other considerations.

 This list of prohibited areas is updated regularly based on Stanley Abroad’s own observations, recommendations from the US Department of State, reports from the Overseas Security Advisory Council, the World Health Organization, and expert input. Without prior notice, Stanley Abroad retains the right to add nations or locations to this list.

 When participants sign our Code of Conduct, which specifies that they will comply by any travel limits imposed by Stanley Abroad, all Stanley Abroad students are informed of the locations that have travel restrictions. The Stanley Abroad student is responsible for being aware of the most recent travel limitations, which are always available on this page of the Stanley Abroad website. Any participant who violates a Stanley Abroad travel restriction will be promptly dismissed from the program and must return to the United States.

 * Before making any final travel arrangements for trips inside or to these regions, students must provide their Resident Director at least two weeks’ notice of their anticipated travel dates. Further information can be requested from the students. Travel to or within these nations/regions may be restricted at Stanley Abroad’s discretion. If you are considering traveling outside of your host country while taking part in a Stanley Abroad program, please get in touch with us for additional details.

Potential Evacuation of Students from Program Site

The U.S. State Department’s advisories and warnings will be a major factor in any decision to evacuate participants from an Stanley Prep program site, but OSAC, the news media, the local government, law enforcement, and trusted friends and colleagues who live at the affected site will also be taken into consideration. The primary course of action for Stanley Prep will be to evacuate students if the U.S. State Department issues a Travel Advisory for an Stanley Prep site after the program has begun and if the warning also contains an official State Department recommendation that all U.S. citizens evacuate the country. The following will be done during evacuation efforts:

 Students will be assisted in changing their return flights to the United States by Stanley Prep resident staff at the impacted Stanley Prep program site. All airline expenses for changing flights are the responsibility of the students. Participants who are unable to pay these costs may temporarily have them covered by Stanley Prep. Participants will receive invoices for the fees in accordance with a full accounting of the expenses made by Stanley Prep on behalf of students.

 Students will get access to Stanley Prep offices, computers, and phones at the sites to get in touch with airlines and/or other interested parties. The Stanley Prep office(s) on-site would act as the primary communications hub(s), even though Stanley Prep student accommodation is often furnished with phones and some with internet access.

 CIPI, Stanley Prep’s insurance provider, is another important resource. In the event that an emergency evacuation is considered essential by Stanley Prep Management, ACE can offer information and coordinate the use of various resources as needed.

 The host university(s) for Stanley Prep will be prepared to help. In the case of political disturbance, all of our host universities are ready to offer a range of resources, such as conference rooms, communication systems, and temporary safe havens, should the full Stanley Prep group need to congregate in one location at once to plan the evacuation reaction.

 According to the section on evacuation on the U.S. State Department’s website (www.state.gov): “Sometimes commercial transportation entering and leaving a country is disrupted during a political upheaval or natural dStanley Prepster. If this happens, and if it appears unsafe for Americans to remain, the embassy and consulates will work with the task force in Washington to charter special flights and ground transportation to help Americans to depart. The U.S. government cannot order Americans to leave a foreign country. It can only advise and try to assist those who wish to leave. By law, an American receiving evacuation assistance is required to sign a promissory note, Emergency Loan Application and Evacuation Document agreeing to reimburse the government for some of the evacuation costs.” Stanley Prep will help students with the arrangements to utilize this assistance.

 Stanley Prep will provide for ground transportation for Stanley Prep participants to get to the airport (s). Due to airport closures, overbooked flights, or lost access to “neighboring” airports, evacuation by land to nearby cities or countries may also be essential. Stanley Prep will coordinate and pay for this transportation. These efforts will be made easier by the partnerships Stanley Prep has with ground transportation service companies.

 Students who might need to be redirected through local Stanley Prep program venues can get help from Stanley Prep on-site staff there.

 If students’ departure is delayed for reasons beyond their control, Stanley Prep will make arrangements for their extended lodging in the host country. The extended lodging and other incidental expenditures will be the responsibility of the students. Stanley Prep is prepared to provide brief financial aid to students who are momentarily unable to pay. Participants will get invoices for the costs after an in-depth accounting of the Stanley Prep’s expenditures is performed.

 Stanley Prep will strive to keep concerned parties (such as the home institution, parents, embassies, etc.) informed of the students’ location, status, and well-being as required and appropriate by using its resources and communications network.

 To preserve the work that students have accomplished while in the host country, Stanley Prep will collaborate with the student’s host institution or institutions. Stanley Prep cannot assure the success of these efforts. The completion of coursework in remote areas is one of the options that Stanley Prep will examine. There will also be consideration given to finishing the canceled program in a different Stanley Prep program site.

 Stanley Prep will try to collect and refund tuition together with any other recoverable program costs if it is unable to give students a feasible way to finish the academic coursework for the impacted program.