STUDENTS COURAGEOUSLY COPE WITH MASKED DAYS
Youth, educators have braved pandemic while province lags behind on measures
When my kids entered kindergarten several years ago in the West Island, I never imagined I might need the courage of a lion for their respective starts of Grades 6 and 9.
It was with mixed emotions for many parents that they shuffled their children off to start the school year last fall, faced with ongoing COVID -19 uncertainty. They probably felt the same with the return of in-person classes this month following a week or two of post-holiday at-home classes, considering Quebec's daily COVID -19 case numbers have exceeded the 2,000 mark during much of the last month.
However, it was still surreal to see Montreal public health director Dr. Mylène Drouin congratulate parents for their “courage and resilience” in a letter forwarded by the Lester B. Pearson School Board last week.
The Quebec government seems to have dropped the ball with its decision not to install air purifiers in classrooms, which some English school boards are doing on their own initiative. Last fall, the Lester B. Pearson School Board ordered $500,000 worth of air purifiers for 16 older buildings whose ventilation method had simply involved keeping windows or doors open, as well as higher-end air filters for schools with mechanical ventilation systems, which transfer outside air into facilities.
The province also lagged behind on mandating students to wear masks in school as a precautionary measure.
With the return to classes this month, Quebec is now requiring all elementary students to wear face coverings in hallways and common areas, while those in grades 5 and 6 must wear them in the classroom. All high school students must now wear disposable masks, to be provided daily, inside and outside the classroom. Grade 9, 10 and 11 students will continue to attend school in person every second day, alternating with at-home online class time.
My kids and their classmates have been wearing masks in class since Day 1 of the school year, with at least one sixth-grader even sporting a face shield. So it seems these Pearson students were trendsetters, a step ahead of provincial officials.
Of course, masks and air purifiers are not foolproof measures to stop the spread of COVID. Cases have been recorded across public and private schools. Social distancing and making sure students with flu-like symptoms isolate at home until COVID test results are in will also help curb the spread.
A badge of courage should be given to students and their educators who have braved the pandemic with in-person learning while the government has tried to wriggle its way through the health crisis with what seem to be half measures. Sure, Quebec has imposed a month-long curfew until Feb. 8, but it took the province half a school year to impose strict mask-wearing protocols in schools.
Perhaps as spring arrives, more classroom work or learning can be done outdoors, in the fresh air. That's on top of some outdoor gym classes or activities like a trip to a local skating rink organized this week at some Pearson schools.
As for COVID -19 vaccinations, shouldn't teachers be considered front-line workers and be given priority?
If in-person learning is the focus for the Legault government, why not implement a program to vaccinate students at their school as well?