CAPE BRETON Membertou director of education says safety comes first.
Darren Googoo understands in-person learning is perferred but safety comes first
MEMBERTOU — The director of education for Membertou First Nation says parents who have travelled to COVID-19 hotspots like Halifax should notify the school and transfer their kids to elearning for the next 14 days.
“We have a population that is much more susceptible to COVID-19 because of (chronic) illnesses, so it's really important that we ensure that it doesn’t come into our schools,” said Darren Googoo.
Mi’kmaq communities continue to combat high rates of diabetes and according to Diabetes Canada, the Indigenous population remains one of the highest at-risk groups. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to warn that Type 2 diabetes creates an increased risk of serious complications from the COVID-19.
And after Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, warned on Nov. 17 that there were signs of community spread in the Halifax region, the community of Membertou began warning the public about travelling there. Googoo began asking parents to notify the school and begin e-learning lessons from home if they had travelled there.
“Parents since then have called us and let us know that they will be putting their child in an e-learning environment for the next two weeks,” said Googoo.
Since March, the school began transitioning to an e-learning environment. Students take part virtually from their homes and can still interact with their teachers virtually.
Classes were capped at 12 in the in-person classroom when the classes resumed in September as another safety measure. Social-distancing and proper spacing remain a priority for the school and Googoo said the buildings are disinfected.
Googoo said in-person classes are still a preferred way to learn though.
“It's always better to learn in person than over the internet, or video conferences, or packages set home,” said Googoo.
He said many of the students who remained home after the initial announcement could be ready to go back to classes if they're not displaying symptoms.
“We as a community and as school are doing everything we can to keep the learning environment safe for their children,” said Googoo.
Witer break is set to run Dec. 23-Jan. 1 and Googoo said warnings about travel will likely come from chief and council leadership.