At least one Nova Scotia parent is happy her kids are going back to physical classrooms in the fall.
Caroline Arsenault, a resident of Halifax's north end and a mother of two children in a French-language school, said she was pleased to see that the priority is on a full return with health and safety protocols in place.
“I really believe that the best place for children to learn and to develop is at school,” Arsenault said after officials released the details on Wednesday, with Education Minister Zach Churchill and Dr. Robert Strang, the province's chief medical officer of health, providing information in a teleconference.
“There's much more than just academic learning, it's also socializing, it's physical development, it's learning how to live with a community of people, so I'm really pleased about that,” she said.
Teachers and students will return to classes on September 8.
Safety is the priority for all, Churchill said, saying the province will be distributing masks, hand sanitizer and other personal protective equipment (PPEs).
Classroom layouts will be modified to allow for increased distance between desks, although at one metre, that is less than the recommended two-metre space in general usage.
“We're realigning our school classrooms so we can provide additional spacing for desks, students and staff will be asked to self-screen for COVID symptoms before entering the building, and anyone who feels ill during the day will be immediately isolated and sent home.”
Masks will be mandatory on buses, in high school hallways and common areas. Also, there will be no access to lockers in any school.
Younger grades will bubble with their classmates, including for lunch and recess. Food will be delivered to the children instead of them going to cafeterias.
“There will be no large gatherings such as assemblies, cafeterias or concerts, and parent-teacher nights will be held virtually – online or over the phone” Churchill said.
Pre-primary is also going ahead with implementation continuing as planned.
Only students and staff will be allowed to access schools and kids will not be permitted to share supplies. Everyone must wash their hands on entering and leaving the facilities.
Athletics will resume for some sports, although it's not clear at the moment which ones. The Nova Scotia School Athetic Federation has submitted a plan to government and officials are reviewing the details.
School clubs will also go ahead if they can be done safely and meet public health guidelines.
Phys-Ed and music classes will need to adjust to meet those guidelines, as well.
Teachers will assess students as normal, with report cards and grades, Churchill said.
“Public Health and IWK advised us that a very small number of children won't be able to attend school due to health issues and there are plans in place to support them. And they will not be penalized from an attendance perspective. Similarly, existing protocols that support staff with health issues will continue to be used.”
If a child becomes sick they and supervising staff will need to wear masks and parents called.
More support staff will be hired, both teaching and non-teaching, and cleaning staff. Teacher positions and support jobs are being posted now, Churchill said. And staff may be redeployed as needed.
“I know many parents are worried about lost time, and how their children will respond in September,” Churchill said. “I want you to know that beginning in September, teachers will undertake a comprehensive assessment of students and work to close any learning gaps that exist.”
He said videos will be uploaded next week to help parents prepare their children for school using COVID protocols.
For internet and device usage, students will be encouraged to bring their own devices to school. Those who don't have their own will be provided with one from 14,000 computers purchased for that purpose.
He said the province is prepared to deal with individual schools or many as the COVID situation warrants, according to direction from Public Health.
There are plans to adjust the plan, if necessary moving to a blended model – with reduced class sizes for Pre-primary to Grade 8 with modified subjects and schedules. Grades 9 to 12, under the blended model, would go to online learning with additional supports in school for those without internet or with additional needs. Skilled trades course would be in classes with modified schedules.
There may also be a return to a full at-home model if necessary. In that case, students without internet will get assignments by telephone and USB sticks, and all students who don't have a computer will be provided with a device. In this model, teachers will also teach from home with a mix of instruction and self-directed learning.
“If we should move to online learning – if COVID requires that – our TAs and EAs and Child and Youth care practitioners will be provided with the option of working with students in their homes while others will provide support through virtual means,” Churchill said.
Strang stressed the need for balance in reopening schools. While virus activity is low in the province, the risk is not zero and there is a need to remain “vigilant,” he said.
“We also have to understand that there is certainly a possibility that we will see cases of COVID in school-aged people in Nova Scotia,” Strang said. “That doesn't necessarily mean that the transmission was at school. It might be. Certainly if we do have some sporadic cases at school – that's entirely possible – it doesn't mean that our plan was wrong. It doesn't mean that we have to re-think everything.”
The plan has a number of contingencies to follow up on specific cases to understand potential exposure and work from there with appropriate measures.
Arsenault said the plan will help with the well-being of families, to allow a return to some degree of normalcy for the children as well as allowing her to fully participate in her work life. She said that has been difficult while also managing their education at home.
Her children are going into Grades 4 and 7, and she said that her younger child will really benefit from returning to class as the little girl had difficulty with online learning in the spring.
“I'm pleased about the kind of phased approach and I like that the plan seems to have a lot of flexibility built into it,” she said.
She just doesn't want to see all the gains to suffer should Premier Stephen McNeil decide to further open provincial borders.
“What I think is really important is that we have to really be careful about managing the situation that we have in Nova Scotia, and to me that means not opening up the Atlantic bubble. I'm really concerned when I hear the premier kind of musing about opening up beyond the Atlantic bubble. I really would not want to see this government sacrifice education for the sake of tourism.”
Nova Scotia NDP Leader Gary Burrill said it's good to have a plan, but it's short on key details.
“I think that the plan is very clear on the what and it's very clear on the when but it's not nearly so clear on the how or the by whom,” Burrill said. “And in those areas, there are a lot of important, outstanding questions at this stage, which is, after all, only six or seven weeks before school begins.”
He said increased cleaning, for example, is good but the plan doesn't say who will do it, what kind of hiring will take place or what parts of the regular work of cleaning staff might be put aside while this is given priority. There is also, Burrill said, imprecise details about how the safety of school workers who are themselves imunologically vulnerable or have family members who are.
Tim Halman, Progressive Conservative education critic and MLA for Dartmouth East, also wanted to see more clarity.
“The McNeil Liberal education framework provides no certainty for parents.,” he said in an emailed statement. “With only five weeks left before school, parents aren’t sure which of the scenarios will be implemented, what circumstances will trigger which scenario or when the final decision will be made.”
