A sign held by one of the demonstrators at Monday's protest in front of Province House. Photo: Twitter/@coleenjonescbc
Teachers and concerned parents gathered outside of Province House yesterday to raise concerns they have with the government’s plan for starting school up in September.
Education Minister Zach Churchill unveiled the Return to Class guidelines earlier this month which protestors feel was missing key information.
Protest organizers sent out a list of questions protestors could put on signs, including Why do I need a mask at the mall, but not in school? If students are “cohorting” with teachers, what about substitute teachers who travel to many different schools? What about after-school programs? What is the threshold for triggering a shutdown of a family of schools? and Who prepares at-home learning for immunocompromised students who have to stay home from school?
The current policy for masks in schools will see students wear them while on there way to school but not in the classroom. Students in grade 10 and above will be required to wear masks when physical distancing is not possible.
The concerns around recess and lunch stem from the fact that the plan did not lay out an explicit framework for how they will be supervised.
We reached out to Minister Churchill’s office for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.
It appears now that the government will continue with it’s Back to School plan which intends to have students back in classrooms on September 8.
