SD 57 satisfied with student return to class date of September 10

A gradual restart plan is in place for BC students and staff ahead of the return to classes, to allow for an adjustment period.

Starting September 8th, all staff will meet with its school’s joint health and safety committee to receive instructions about how the updated guidelines will work.

Students will be welcomed back to class for orientation on September 10th and will use their orientation time to get familiar with classrooms that will look different than they did before the pandemic.

School District 57 Superintendant Anita Richardson says she feels the Ministry decision was a result of feedback from concerned parents and teachers.

“The Ministry (of Education) was certainly facing a lot of pressure. Not only from parents but within the system as well, to provide a gradual or soft entry into school, ” Richardson told MyPGNow today (Wednesday).

“We were heading into a different situation than we had in June, with full implementation of the curriculum in September and a full return for students. We certainly need a little bit of time in order to ensure staff and students understand these new expectations,” she added.

On August 10, Districts were provided with readiness checklists to ensure they are updating their health and safety plans and considering, communicating and consulting with their unions, Indigenous rightsholders, staff, and families in their local communities.

They will also need to ensure their plans address equity and inclusion of children who require additional support in school.

“I think the Ministry was listening to feedback that they were receiving on many fronts, that speaks well to its ability to be flexible,” Richardson noted.

She says the District is working on a concrete plan as to what orientation will look like in SD 57, as it varies by region.

“We have a great starting point in the work we did in June for having students back in school. Being prepared for things like increased cleaning schedules as well as physical distancing already in place,” she said, adding that the existing health and safety plans can be tweaked to allow for things like mask-wearing.

Speaking to the anxiety parents may be feeling about sending their children back to school, Richardson says some hesitancy is only natural.

“Our students have not been in school for months. Many of our students had a great experience returning to school in June, but there’s a whole spectrum of responses that would be expected and natural for parents to have at this time,” said Richardson.

“School has always provided some level of risk. Parents always have that feeling when kids are away from them when they aren’t supervising them directly (…) in a time in our world where it’s so much more chaotic and unprecedented as it is right now, those feelings are magnified and that’s to be expected.”

The K-12 education restart steering committee and working groups say they are prioritizing the health and safety of teachers, staff and students.

These groups are also working to create detailed guidelines, which will be available by Aug. 17 to support districts with their restart plans, including guidance on:

* implementing the updated health and safety protocols;

* ensuring kids who require extra support are prioritized and have the services they need;

* supporting the mental health and wellness of students who may be experiencing additional challenges because of the pandemic;

* ensuring fewer contacts and a safe workplace for those who interact with more than one learning group – such as specialists, teachers on call, educational assistants, cafeteria staff or bus drivers;

* supporting hybrid instruction with a blend of in-person learning and remote learning for dense urban secondary schools with large student populations;

* minimizing physical contact within learning groups; and

* ensuring before- and after-school child care on school grounds allows kids to stay within their learning groups as much as possible.

We’re taking a gradual start to the K-12 school year with an orientation week so students & staff have extra time to prepare for safe learning. Teachers and staff will return on Sept. 8 and students by Sept. 10. #BCED #covidbc https://t.co/N40BA9KKPJ pic.twitter.com/f0BHbgjtda

— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) August 12, 2020