Schools stay open as officials watch health agency advice
Public, Catholic divisions cancel trips, U of S considers online learning options
Classes are still on at schools and post-secondary institutions in Saskatoon after the province announced the first presumptive case of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) was found in an adult who lives in the city.
Grade schools were already experiencing the effects of a provincewide job action by teachers, which led to the cancellation of extracurricular activities, but COVID-19 has led to the cancellation of events within normal school hours at Saskatoon’s public schools.
The public school division sent a notice home with students on Thursday announcing the cancellation of field trips, guest speakers, external presentations, tours, and large gatherings such as pep rallies and assemblies, effective immediately.
It is also reviewing its procedures for parent-teacher conferences. It emphasized in bold lettering to keep sick children home from school, and asked parents and caregivers experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID -19 to not come to the school and make alternate pickup and drop-off arrangements.
In a notice sent home with students on Wednesday, after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID -19 a pandemic, the division informed caregivers about preventative measures being taken, including focusing sanitization efforts on “push-pull points” and frequently touched surfaces including door handles, water fountain buttons, desks, counter tops, sinks and taps. In an email to The Starphoenix, school division spokeswoman Veronica Baker wrote that within the division, professional development and similar large gatherings and meetings, unique program open houses and cultural ceremonies, activities and events such as Pipe Ceremony, feasts, pow wow and round dances, will be cancelled.
Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools issued a statement on its website on Thursday that implementing “more significant restrictions is not recommended, although this will be continuously monitored.”
The Catholic division is reviewing and revising its pandemic plan for several weeks in preparation and has been in contact with health officials, city departments, the airport authority and other educational institutions. It has also been focusing on sanitation efforts and encouraging hand washing and sanitizing.
“We have already taken steps such as cancelling an international exchange and student educational tours. The recent suspension of extracurricular activities puts one of our preventative measures in place,” the school division’s statement said.
The University of Saskatchewan plans to remain open with operations continuing as usual, but this could change based on advice from federal and provincial health agencies, according to a statement from university president Peter Stoicheff and posted to the school’s website.
The university is considering its options for online and remote learning and “alternative options” for exams if needed, Stoicheff wrote.
It is also looking into ways to enable employees to work from home if necessary.
“Should our operations need to change, we will do so with as little disruption to our students as possible,” he wrote.
Staff at the university have been contacting their union, looking for information about how sick leaves and self-isolation would work under the existing labour contract, according to Bob Jones, president of CUPE 1975, which represents 2,000 university employees.
He’s reached out to the school to clarify what will happen if it chooses to change its operations, he said.
The U of S also cancelled all university-related travel to some countries affected by the virus, including China, Italy, South Korea and Iran. It’s asking students and community members who have recently travelled to China or Italy to self-isolate for 14 days, in line with public health guidelines.
Student groups have also started to announce event cancellations, including the “Global Village” event hosted by the International Student and Study Abroad Centre scheduled for Thursday. Programming at the Aboriginal Students’ Centre will also be cancelled for the remainder of the fall term.
At Saskatchewan Polytechnic, CFO Cheryl Schmitz said it’s “business as usual.” It too is carefully monitoring the situation and will be watching for updates from public health agencies and senior faculty, and the administration is preparing to transition some courses online, if needed, Schmitz said.
The school is also assessing whether to cancel planned trips on an individual basis, based on travel advisories and regional outbreaks, Schmitz said. There have already been trips cancelled and postponed to date.
“We believe in taking a proactive approach to this,” she said.
We have already taken steps such as cancelling an international exchange and student educational tours.