Parents get more details on return
Parents in the Central Okanagan have until Friday at 5 p.m. to decide if they want to send their elementary schoolaged children back to class on June 1.
An email was sent to all parents on Wednesday outlining how in-class instruction will resume for K-5/6 students.
It’s proposed that returning students will be divided into two groups. One group will attend school Monday and Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and the other will attend on Thursdays and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Parents can choose whether or not to have their children return to class. But they’re asked to make their decision via an online form by Friday so educators have an idea how many kids are likely to show up on Monday, June 1.
All schools in B.C. have been closed since mid-March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With infection rates dropping, and children so far showing less susceptibility to the coronavirus, the Ministry of Education has told school districts to prepare for a re-start of classes.
“Parents that make the choice to have their children attend in-class can be confident that the district is taking safety seriously,” says part of the email sent Wednesday to Kelownaarea parents.
“The district’s strict safety protocols have been guided by Interior Health, and reviewed by WorkSafBC.”
New procedures will be in place regarding hygiene and handwashing, physical distancing and reduced physical contact, personal protective equipment where recommended by health officers, and enhanced cleaning by janitors.
The email also states that “strict entry procedures which allow for daily monitoring for symptoms and protocols if symptoms are observed” will be implemented, but it does not provide detail on these measures.
Parents who choose to keep their children at home will receive “some remote learning” from their teachers, but the email suggests it will be of a degree and frequency less substantial than what is now being provided.
Elementary schools will be closed to all students on Wednesdays for classroom cleaning, teacher planning and preparation, and some remote learning assistance, the email states.