Fall back-to-school plan a tricky test for province

Alberta Education is considering reopening schools this fall with a number of restrictions including social distancing, staggered attendance and asking teachers and students to wear personal protective equipment.

Education Minister Adriana Lagrange announced Wednesday three possible scenarios for the reopening of schools in September, all of which are being discussed with various stakeholders including parent associations, the Alberta Teachers’ Association and school boards across the province.

The first scenario would be a return to class under normal conditions, the second would be a return to class but with restrictions, and the third scenario would be continued virtual and online learning with teacher support.

With no end to the COVID-19 pandemic in sight and no expectations for a vaccine until 2021, the second scenario seems the most likely way that students could return to class but still mitigate risk of spreading the virus.

Lagrange said she is open to considering all innovative ways to try to make that scenario a reality, including asking teachers and students to wear PPE, to ensure students are socially distancing in classrooms by moving desks apart, and to consider asking students to split up the time they attend school — either by morning and afternoon or staggered days.

“We have been talking with the Alberta School Council Association and getting feedback from parents at large. And all of these components are being discussed as options,” Lagrange said.

“Everything is on the table. But no decisions have yet been made.”

But Barb Silva, spokeswoman for the Support Our Students advocacy group, said ASCA is not independent, is largely funded by the province and does not represent all schools, many of which do not have parent councils.

“The minister claimed to have conversations with both parents and students regarding a relaunch plan. What were the conditions for these conversations and who was invited?” Silva said.

“Support Our Students Alberta is the largest independent public education advocacy organization in Alberta representing over 5,000 Albertans committed to an equitable and accessible public education.

“We have not been made aware of any engagement sessions where parents, students or education workers can participate in conversations.”

Silva added that since a return to school also affects school staff beyond just teachers, they, too, should be part of the conversation.

“These are important conversations and valuable partners, however, none of them include education workers who work in actual schools on a day-to-day basis.

“We expect conversations to be transparent and accessible to all education workers, not just the ATA executive, but custodians, psychologists, administration and everyday teachers.”

Parents have raised a number of concerns around whether social distancing is a realistic goal in an already crowded school system, including overflowing classrooms and school buses.

Younger students, particularly those in the early elementary grades, would be difficult to control and ensure they are remaining far apart, practising good hygiene and not sharing high touch points.

And while children are believed to be at lower risk of getting severely ill from COVID -19, there are still many concerns they could spread the virus to older family members, as well as older teachers and school staff.

Quebec elementary students are expected to return to class within the next week, but with a whole range of challenging restrictions, including some schools asking students to remain in classrooms, in desks and disallowing physical education, music and drama.

But while Quebec’s return is voluntary this spring, reopening classes by September will increasingly become less of a choice, particularly for younger students who can only cover minimal amounts of their curriculum outside of the classroom.

Alberta students are now in their eighth week of online learning, with some teachers reporting very low engagement rates among students. Some are only completing 20 to 50 per cent of assigned work, while others have completely abandoned virtual classrooms.

Lagrange admitted that there are many gaps in the system that will need to be addressed once kids return.

“We do know that early in the next school year there will be things that need to be addressed, and we are coming together and having those discussions,” she said, adding that summer school programming to help students with special needs is also part of the re-entry discussion.

Still, no dates have been set as to when a reopening scenario will be chosen, even though families are eager to start planning.

“This pandemic does not know deadlines,” said Lagrange.

“And we need to develop a strong plan that allows us to come back effectively in any scenario, but also transition between scenarios quickly if we have to.

“This pandemic changes day to day, hour to hour, and we need to be ready for that.”