Public board expects 70% of students back in class

More than two-thirds of students at Edmonton Public Schools are expected to return to in-person classes in September during the COVID -19 pandemic.

As of Tuesday, Edmonton Public Schools said it is planning for 70.4 per cent of students to return to in-person classes and 29.6 per cent to take online classes when the school year starts next Thursday.

Megan Normandeau, spokeswoman for Edmonton Public Schools, cautioned that the numbers are not final because schools are contacting families who have yet to communicate their decision.

Friday was the deadline to choose how students will be learning during the first quarter of the school year.

Broken down, there are 63,873 students who will return to in-person classes while 26,832 have chosen online. The 2019-2020 school year had a total of 104,930 students enrolled in Edmonton Public Schools.

Normandeau said the numbers will fluctuate for the first few weeks as parents continue to enrol their children.

Meanwhile, Edmonton Catholic Schools has extended its deadline to this coming Friday for parents to choose whether their children will learn online or in person. Spokeswoman Lori Nagy said their backto-school numbers are expected to be released early next week.

Edmonton Catholic students return to school on Sept. 2 while Edmonton public students return on Sept. 3.

Meanwhile, the trustees with the Black Gold School Division in Nisku voted Monday to delay the start of the school year to Sept. 8 and include additional instructional time.

Last week, the Alberta Teachers’ Association called on the province to delay the start of the school year until after Labour Day amid concerns over the government’s re-entry plan, saying it would allow schools more time to prepare for students coming back to class amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

ATA president Jason Schilling met with Education Minister Adriana Lagrange Wednesday to go over concerns that included reduced class sizes and increased funding for measures such as more support staff, mental health supports and placement of public health nurses in schools.

However, Lagrange did not commit to a delay and said the back-toschool plan was approved by chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw and supported by school boards and superintendents.

B.C. and Saskatchewan have pushed their school start dates to Sept. 10 and Sept. 8, respectively.