Student, staff safety is paramount as kids return to their classrooms
With students returning to classrooms today, the Okanagan Skaha School District superintendent assures parents that safety remains paramount.
“The guiding principle of the board throughout this time has been the health, safety and well-being of our students, staff and school communities,” Todd Manuel said in an email.
“Over the summer, district staff worked to ensure school ventilation systems were inspected and mechanical adjustments made to support healthy learning environments.”
Some of the work completed includes increasing the frequency of filter replacements, mechanical adjustments to boost airflow intake, and where necessary, re-engineering of ductwork to allow for improved filter systems.
Regular procedure, Manuel said, includes monitoring, maintaining and adjusting ventilation systems. Staff will continue to clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
Students and staff will notice directional signage in the schools to manage traffic flow and prevent crowding.
“We appreciate how our parents, guardians and community members have collectively supported our schools through this time,” Manuel said.
“Supporting the health and safety measures provided to us by Dr. (Bonnie) Henry, the Provincial Health Authority and the Ministry of Education has been a shared effort and this has helped us to safely continue in-class learning.
“It has also become clearer than ever just how important it is for students to attend schools in person to receive the direct support of their teachers and to connect and learn with their peers.”
Even with assurances, Okanagan Skaha Teachers Union president Kevin Epp still remains a tad skeptical.
“Teachers are concerned that the provincial back-to-school plan is not as comprehensive as the safety measures were in the spring,” Epp wrote in an email.
“While many have received vaccines, including students 12 and older, staff and educators, there is a concern about transmission of the Delta variant, and, concerns that younger students are not yet vaccinated.”
Epp’s criticism is not aimed at the local board.
“The district has done a very good job of preparing for the new year, although, as I stated, the plans given to districts by the province are not sufficient to insure we do not see significant transmission connected to schools.”
Also related to safety, school bus contractors Berry and Smith remind the public to obey all traffic laws and to slow down in school zones.
In the classroom, students will experience schedules and course offerings that are much “closer to normal,” Manuel said, with no cohorts or learning groups.
Enrollment numbers in the district — which has schools in Summerland, Penticton, Naramata, Kaleden and the West Bench — are expected to be “slightly lower” than last year.
From a personnel standpoint, the schools will look much as they did in June with no principal transfers over the summer months.