LAKELAND - After five months away from a regular classroom, many students will be returning to classes in just a few short weeks. Last week, the Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health for the province, announced mandatory masks will be required amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the province announced a re-entry to school a few weeks ago, the province was clear in stating there would be additional measures announced, said Premier Kenney, speaking directly with Lakeland This Week, as he toured the region last week.
While the province didn't want to rush Hinshaw into making any decisions, Kenney says the government wanted to give parents a sense of certainty so they could plan for the fall, which is why the announcement that classes would resume under scenario one was made in late July.
“We are so fortunate to have her as our chief medical officer. She is a brilliant scientist, she is very careful about public health, but she is also very common sense,” said Kenney, speaking about Hinshaw.
The decision toward mandatory masks came as a direct result of Hinshaw’s advice. A formal recommendation was given to the Premier on Aug. 3, with the announcement of mandatory masks being made on Aug. 4.
“I had a hunch she was going to recommend some kind of mandatory masking for at least high schools,” said Kenney, although he says he wasn't sure what ages would be included in the recommendation.
Speaking specifically about masks, the Premier admits that “Masks are not perfect." And while they cannot prevent the spread, they can help reduce it.
Along with providing two reusable masks to students and staff, the province will also be providing face visors to teaching staff, thermometers, hand sanitizer, and other Personal Protective Equipment.
He also says there will be a “stepped up testing regime" in schools.
“When there are – and there will be – infections in schools or classrooms, we can very quickly turn around those results to help limit the spread," said Kenney.
When asked about concerns expressed by some teaching staff, Kenney said staff should take the same precautions as Dr. Hinshaw recommends generally.
“Every day, for the past six months, people have gone to work stocking store shelves and grocery stores, people are working in our health care system . . . 85 per cent of businesses stayed open at the height of the pandemic, and all of those people took some risk to go to work, often in crowded spaces, to keep society functioning. And, I don’t think our education staff should be exempt from the same kind of sense of solidarity. All of them need to be careful. We’ll be there to support them with protective equipment. But. . . we’re all in this together," said Kenney.
With a few weeks before most students return to school, additional recommendations by Hinshaw could be a possibility, said the Premier. If Hinshaw comes forward with any additional recommendations for the safe return to school, “we’ll take that on board,” said Kenney.
A key point brought up by the official opposition party has been capping classes to 15 people.
The idea of capping class sizes of 15 “a great idea if we lived on fantasy island,” said the Premier.
Capping classes in this way would require the construction of 13,000 new classrooms, which represents 800 new schools, and 13,000 new teachers, said Kenney.
“There’s just not possible way to implement that. So that’s not a plan to open the schools, it's a plan to keep them shut.”
The Premier acknowledged the province can't assure zero risk as students return to class.
“We cannot take the risk to zero, we have to manage the risk, and that’s what we’re doing.”
When asked what he would say to a child who is worried about returning to class, Kenney said: “I would say, I hope they’re looking forward to seeing their friends. School is going to be a little different this year. And they’ve got to listen to their parents and their teachers about keeping a bit of distance. If they’re 10 years or older, try to wear a mask, and keep washing their hands. . . but to enjoy school."
Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche MLA Laila Goodridge, who also spoke to Lakeland This Week during the Premier's visit last week, said she's had a number of children approach her, telling her they’re excited to go back to school, “and there have been a few that have told me they’re a little bit nervous, and I’ve told them that it’s OK to be nervous. . . It’s going to be a little bit different, but different isn’t bad. Different is just new.”
St. Paul Education
St. Paul Education Regional Division released its re-entry plan on Monday afternoon, but was unavailable due to the Journal's press deadline. Board Chair Heather Starosielski did, however, share the cover letter to the plan with Lakeland This Week.
"We must continue to work together to manage risk, use common sense and remain vigilant to contain this virus," states the letter. And while the plan will give parents and staff something to work with to prepare for the school year, "The St. Paul Education 2020-21 re-entry plan is subject to change as more information becomes available from the province."
The plan will be updated over the next few weeks and throughout the school year, as required, and acknowledges that "Given the evolving nature of the pandemic, we may be required to transition from one scenario to another with short notice."
Under scenario one, families, staff, and visitors to schools will conduct the Self-Screening Questionnaire prior to school entry with strict stay-at-home and pick up policy for anyone exhibiting signs of illness. Cohortingstudents will be a focus also. And, as previously annouced by the province, "Mandatory masks for all staff and students in grades 4 to 12 when physical distancing is not possible."
Assigned mandatory seating plans will also be in place for buses.
The cover letter concludes by stating, "Please understand that we can work together to minimize risks but it will not be possible to eliminate all risks. We all have to do our part to keep schools open and everyone safe."
Northern Lights Public Schools
Nicole Garner, communications officer for Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS), said whether or not masks would be mandated was one of the top questions the division was getting, and the provincial announcement was appreciated.
“A lot of people were concerned about whether staff and/or students, whether masks would be optional or mandated. It was nice to have them come out and say what they want us to do in regards to that.”
When NLPS included a question on masks in their June school re-entry survey, results were split. Around 66 per cent of respondents said that using masks where physical distancing isn't possible was "somewhat to very important" to them. About 30 per cent indicated they weren't comfortable with masks being mandated.
The division has sent out another survey to garner more feedback from parents, students, and staff since the province announced in-person classes will be resuming in September. NLPS administration will be taking the next couple of weeks to determine what re-entry looks like across their division. Garner said while there will be many similarities, some schools will look different than others.
“For instance, they’re all going to have hand sanitizer stations and some of the processes will be the same and there’s other things that are going to have to be decided on a school by school basis,” she detailed. “Things like recess might look different at a smaller school, like Iron River or Ardmore, then it does at a larger school like Duclos because of the size of the school, the number of students, the ages of the students, things might need to look a little different. Our plan is to put that together into a plan and share that with parents as soon as possible because we’re getting a lot of questions.”
NLPS will also be making a plan for parents who choose not to send their children back to in-person classes.
Lakeland Catholic School Division
In a letter to parents, the Lakeland Catholic School Division (LCSD) said, “Right now, we’re reviewing our original draft re-entry plan, which was shared in June 2020, aligning it with the current guidelines and recommendations set out by Alberta Health and Alberta Education.”
The statement also informed parents that they are exploring other options for families who with to have their children continue with at-home learning in September.
“We understand that many within our Lakeland Catholic School community are concerned about a full-time return to in-person classes, however, our priority is to provide high-quality faith-based teaching and learning in environments that keep our students, staff, and families as safe as possible.”
Further details will be shared in the coming weeks.
-With files from Robynne Henry
