Steering committee to map out fall return to school

The B.C. government and school boards have begun to figure out how school will operate in September when more students return to class.

Education Minister Rob Fleming called the June school restart successful and said it will help to plan for September, if it’s safe to do so.

On June 1, all kindergarten to Grade 5 students had the option to attend school halftime, while students in Grades 6-12 had the option to attend school for the equivalent of one day a week.

To prepare for September, Fleming has appointed a steering committee with representatives from teachers, parents, First Nations, support staff, principals and vice-principals, school boards and trustees, and the public health sector to learn from best practices and find solutions to issues, according to a government news release issued Thursday.

The committee will review lessons learned from March to June, identify existing and potential issues and propose solutions, and develop and support parent and teacher resources, the government said.

Some of the safety measures already implemented include greater space between desks, minimal physical contact, hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, cleaning of high-contact surfaces twice daily, and clear protocols for drop-offs and lunch and recess breaks, to name a few.

The province says the goal is to have even more students in class in September, as long as it’s safe to do so based on the advice of Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer.

Several return-to-school scenarios are being developed based on a five-stage approach, allowing schools to respond quickly in the event of a second pandemic wave.

The B.C. government says nearly 200,000 students went back to school in June. ticrawford@postmedia.com