ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Even before the provincial government announced Monday afternoon it would close schools amidst COVID-19 health concerns, Shanda Hopkins had her mind made up to keep her children home.
“The school board (and government) should be protecting all students,” the mother of two daughters said Monday morning from her home in Brownsdale.
She was relieved when, a few hours later, Premier Dwight Ball made the announcement at a news conference in St. John’s that, effective at the end of the day Monday, all in-school classes for K-12 students across Newfoundland and Labrador would be suspended indefinitely.
“I'm such a happy mom right now. They most definitely did the right thing,” said Hopkins, whose oldest daughter has a heart defect and is vulnerable to viruses.
“Hats off to them for following all the other provinces and for keeping our kids safe.”
During the news conference to give updates on the COVID-19 situation in the province, Ball said early childhood education and daycare centres will also close, along with College of the North Atlantic.
Key coronavirus news
- Canadian Blood Services pleas for donors amidst COVID-19 cancellations
- Amid fears of COVID-19, Bell Island ferry passengers still not allowed to stay in their cars
- Canada to close borders to foreign nationals to stop the spread of COVID-19
- White House urges researchers to use AI to analyze 29,000 coronavirus papers
- Italy pumps cash into coronavirus-hit economy as death toll passes 2,000
- Amid fears of COVID-19, Bell Island ferry passengers still not allowed to stay in their cars
For up-to-date information on coronavirus, visit our COVID-19 news centre at saltwire.com
Memorial University had already announced last week that it would suspend all classes and labs (both face-to-face and those currently offered online) at the end of the day on Wednesday. Instruction is scheduled to resume remotely on Monday, March 23.
The decision to close K-12 schools will affect 64,000 K-12 students and 7,300 children in regulated child care.
In a news release Monday afternoon, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development clarified that family child care homes will be allowed to remain open.
"The chief medical officer of health has advised that regulated family child care is exempt due to the small number of children in attendance at each service," the department stated.
Teachers will take Tuesday to prepare material to be sent home to students and plan for the change, while schools will be open Wednesday and Thursday to allow students to collect their belongings and school materials and meet with teachers for the final time until further notice. School boards will provide details to parents in the coming days.
Ball said he realizes closing schools and daycares causes a great disruption for parents, but having seen situations in other provinces, the government felt it was best to be proactive, “and put the necessary precautions in place and … make sure we can do whatever we can to prevent community transmission.
“It’s not a perfect situation, but we must make the necessary decisions that are appropriate at this time.”
He said the government will ensure that daycare workers will continue to be paid and operating grants in place for early education will continue for compensation.
As for parents who will miss work and will suffer financially because they have to be home with their children, Ball said the government will look at those cases and will be in contact with the federal government to discuss that issue.
Education Minister Brian Warr said while there’s just one case of coronavirus in the province, the decision to close schools was made, “out of an abundance of caution and in consultation with the chief medical officer of health.
“These actions are being taken with the safety and well-being of our students and staff in mind,” Warr said.
Warr said contingency planning is underway and will intensify to maintain the integrity of the academic year, which was already affected by time off in January due to a major snowstorm, dubbed Snowmageddon.
Warr said long-term planning is also underway to consider options such as homework packages. He said they’ll continue to assess the situation to determine when schools and childcare centres may reopen, depending on emergency developments, which are rapidly evolving. He said they will continue to follow the advice of health officials.
Newfoundland and Labrador English School District president Tony Stack said he anticipated the decision to close schools and is glad it was made as an action plan.
“We know what’s in front of us now and we have to focus on our challenge of salvaging what we can from the academic year,” Stack said. “This is not going to be the same as face-to-face instruction, but we have some incredible teachers out there who I know will work with us.”
Stack said the focus will be on the high school grades, as students look to graduate, and ensuring they’re not at a disadvantage in terms of their post-secondary plans.
Earlier Monday, the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association (NLTA) issued a news release calling on the government to close schools.
“Convenience must not trump public health,” NLTA president Dean Ingram said.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils (NLFSC) commended Ball and Warr for making the decision to close schools to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“Any decision made with the best interests of students at heart is always a wise one,” NLFSC president Don Coombs stated in a news release Monday. “We realize we are in uncharted waters and unprecedented times and decisions of this nature are not made lightly.”
The NLFSC encourages parents and councils not to overwhelm teachers and administrators by calling or going to schools.
“Now is the time for all of us to support the leaders of this province in their efforts to keep COVID-19 from spreading,” Coombs said. “Strong leadership has never been more important than it is now.”
Twitter: @TelyRosie | facebook.com/rosiemullaley/
