‘A new normal’: Sask. students expected back in classrooms this fall

Saskatoon’s school divisions are cautiously eyeing what a return to school for students this fall might look like.

On Tuesday, deputy premier and Education Minister Gordon Wyant announced that elementary and high school students will likely resume in-class learning for the 2020-21 school year.

The Ministry of Education and chief medical officer Dr. Saqib Shahab are developing public health guidelines for schools that will be available as early as next week.

The province is also working on a series of “contingency plans” if the risk of transmission is too high or there is community transmission as a result of students returning to schools.

“I think getting back to that sense of normal in September, where marks matter and attendance matters, is a good move,” said Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation president Patrick Maze. “And so there’s some positives, and then lots of details that need to be worked out.”

Shahab said while the importance of physical distancing measures won’t be lost, it will be less practical in a school setting with children.

Additional measures like separate entrances, staggered classrooms or some online learning could help to supplement that as the province moves toward getting back to “a new normal,” Wyant said.

“The key here is to ensure the safety of kids in the classroom, but to make sure that we provide an equitable learning opportunity for all the kids across the entire province,” he said. “We do believe that in-class learning is the best option for children, augmented by those other things.”

Wyant noted there will be additional costs the school divisions will have to shoulder in terms of making the changes, but said the

Ministry will work to help identify and address them.

Maze said he hopes the province will provide teachers the resources they need to feel secure in returning, including access to personal protective equipment and additional sanitation measures.

If the divisions are saddled with the cost of those additional measures, there should be the potential for them to be reimbursed, he said.

“With how many times I heard the minister say that teachers’ working environments and teachers’ health is important to them, then I would expect that if there is a bit of extra funding required that the government would step up and commit to that,” he said.

Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools board chair Diane Boyko said the division has been recently looking at next steps for the fall and she’s glad to see the ministry providing some guidance.

“Part of it means being vigilant that a return to school doesn’t mean a return to normal operations,” Boyko said.

“I think that’s something that all of us need to keep in mind.

“And so how are those adjustments going to ensure that the health and safety of all of our students and staff are met?”

In a statement sent to parents and posted on the division’s website, Saskatoon Public Schools director of education Barry Macdougall said staff and parents are being surveyed about considerations for the fall.

The division’s supplemental learning program will end on June 19, but staff will still be available for questions the following week.