Schools will reopen to students this fall

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Strathmore and Wheatland County students will be returning to school in the fall.

The COVID-19 pandemic created uncertainty for the 2020-21 school year. But on July 21, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney confirmed that once again, the end of summer will mean the start of the school for students across the province.

The province will be following the “scenario 1” approach for school re-entry, meaning the “near-normal” return to in-person classroom learning with added health measures, rather than a partial return (scenario 2) or continuation of at-home learning (scenario 3). 

The move is in line with what most area parents want, said Bevan Daverne, Golden Hills School Division (GHSD) superintendent.

“When we did the surveys at the end of the school year last year, the comments were overwhelming that people wanted a return to normal,” he said. “The vast majority of parents feel like we need to get back to normal school (and that) we need to get back to normal everything.”

For kids returning to school, “the school day will look different,” said Daverne. To ensure the safety of staff and students, GHSD is implementing “about two dozen small changes,” he said. The full list of measures is included in the GHSD School Relaunch Guide 2020/2021, available on the school board’s website. 

Christ The Redeemer (CTR) Catholic Schools has also provided a re-entry plan on their website.

Mandatory daily self-screening before school is one of the major changes. Available as part of the province’s re-entry toolkit ( https://www.alberta.ca/k-to-12-school-re-entry-2020-21-school-year.aspx), parents, guardians and students each day must complete an 18-question form asking whether the student is showing symptoms (14 questions), has recently travelled outside of Canada, or has come into unprotected contact (defined as face-to-face contact within two metres without PPE) with someone who is ill or is being investigated for or confirmed to have COVID-19.

“It’s very important that for people who have symptoms, they do not come to school,” said Daverne. 

To increase physical distancing, GHSD students will have different designated entrances to access the building, recesses will not be held at the same time for all students, there will be staggered bell schedules for when students move around the schools, classrooms will be rearranged and group work will be approached differently, he said. There are plans to continue sports programming, however.

Schools are also required to develop procedures to contain the potential spread of the virus, including having students practicing hand hygiene (disinfection or washing) when entering and exiting the school and before entering the classroom, and an increased cleaning regime. Each school board is responsible to pay for these measures.

“There will be some costs of bringing in daytime cleaners,” said Daverne. “We’re looking for ways to manage that, and we don’t know what the total is quite yet.”

The province is providing school authorities with a funding increase for the 2020-21 school year, which is reported to total about $120 million across Alberta. In addition, the minister of education has approved the use of school board reserves to pay for COVID-19-related costs.

Staff and students will not be required to wear masks or other PPE. However, GHSD said it “will continue to take direction from Alberta Health Services and the ministry of education on the use of PPE.”

If any student presents symptoms while at school, they will be isolated or moved away from others, be asked to wear a mask, and will be required to be picked up by their parent or guardian in accordance with provincial guidelines. They will return to school only after they have tested negative for the virus.

Any school connected to a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 may be required to close in-person classes to allow a public health investigation by Alberta Health Services (AHS) to take place. A decision to send a cohort or class home may also be made, in consultation with the local medical officer of health. The school will support students to learn or work at home if they are required to self-isolate.

Students will adapt to the changes, said Daverne. “There are some routines that will change during the day, but I’m not sure that it will impact the fun factor and the way to engage kids at school,” he said. “Once kids are at school, we are confident we will be able to continue to do the things that kids find enjoyable.”