Wednesday July 29, 2020 ~ VICTORIA, BC
by Mary Brooke, editor | West Shore Voice News
Schools across British Columbia will see all students and teachers back in classrooms this fall, despite the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. This was a long-awaited announcement by families and communities across BC.
The announcement in the noon hour today by Education Minister Rob Fleming and Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry outlined the COVID-19 education plan for the upcoming school year. Of the five stages in the plan, BC schools will be operating at Stage 2.
Dr Henry emphasized the necessity of in-class teaching, given the lack of social interaction, collaborative learning, and interactive experiences associated with online learning. She highlighted that even though the online learning environment is safe for students, it puts increased pressure and stress on parents of children who need to balance work and supervision when their children are staying home.
The steadily low number of COVID-19 cases in BC has given confidence to Minister Fleming and Dr Henry and their team of advisors to move forward with an active return to school this fall.
Returning to school on September 8:
Schools in the 60 school districts across BC will welcome students back on Tuesday September 8 after the Labour Day long weekend.
So that parents, students and communities have some time to prepare for this most unique of back-to-school experiences, school districts must have their detailed plans posted on their district websites by August 26.
Attending in cohorts:
The majority of students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 will be returning to school full-time come September, however, they will be divided into ‘learning groups’ or cohorts in which numbers and interaction with others beyond the ‘bubble’ will be limited.
The implementation of learning groups is designed to minimize exposure of the COVID-19 virus to students and staff. The learning group setup will also provide students a form of social life within a safe bubble. Students will be given opportunities to socialize — still within their own cohort — in common areas such as cafeterias, hallways, and playgrounds.
For children in elementary and middle school, the learning groups will be limited to 60 students, and secondary schools will have a maximum of 120. For high schools that accommodates the fact that students move around to different classrooms and/or study with different teachers. The count of 120 includes students, teachers and support staff.
Dr Henry explained that younger children may not cope well with assessing the 2-metre distance that is recommended for physical distancing during the pandemic. For elementary and middle school students the idea is to reinforce ‘not touching’ other children or being too close for activities. For high school students there is the assumption that physical distancing is better understood and more easily practiced.
For pr-school students and children in daycare, there will be a small and strict limit for “learning groups” as younger children are at a higher risk due to their lower ability to follow social distancing procedures and proper hygiene. Staff and parents will need to make the commitment to ensure that children will be in good health before each school day by conducting routine assessments for symptoms of COVID-19.
Following public health guidelines:
The basic public health principles of physical distancing and frequent handwashing will be applied throughout the school day process.
Masks will be available at schools by request, for anyone who wishes to use them. Masks will not be mandatory but are highly recommended.
The Government of BC is investing $45.6 million dollars into the education plan that will help to enforce safety measures, increase cleaning of classrooms and shared spaces, provide sanitization systems and hand-washing stations, and having a supply of masks on hand for students and staff.
Dr Henry and Minister Fleming both expressed confidence in the plan as long as the number of cases of COVID-19 in the community remain low. They hope that parents will not be hesitant about sending their children back to school, given that what was learned in June (from the return of 38% students back in school on a voluntary basis) and what is being followed in terms of physical distancing is being addressed.
Supporting the IT requirements:
The Ministry of Education is also adding another $3 million to the education budget for 2020-2021 for supporting remote learning and access to technologies.