No hint of long Christmas break from minister
A “holiday message” to B.C. parents from Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside makes no suggestion that a longer-than-normal Christmas break is under consideration by the government.
“We know that school is the best place for most students to learn, and for their social and emotional well-being,” Whiteside says.
“In the new year, we look forward to having students back in the classroom as we continue to work with all our partners to provide a safe and healthy school environment for all our students and staff,” Whiteside says.
Friday was the last day of classes for almost 600,000 students in 1,600 B.C. public schools. Whiteside’s letter to parents was emailed Thursday. In an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, the Alberta government has announced learning will be through online means only, for one week, when schools re-open on Jan. 4.
This week, the Ontario government told educators and families to prepare for the possibility of online learning only in January.
“We are recommending that boards encourage students and staff to take home any materials that they may require for remote learning before they leave school for the holiday period so we can continue to be ready for all scenarios,” reads an Ontario government memo distributed this week to all school boards in that province.
It’s a change in position from just a few weeks ago when the government said a longer break was not being considered.
There have been hundreds of COVID-19 exposure at B.C. schools, with students or staff testing positive and then being required to self-isolate. But there have been few outbreaks, situations where the disease is being actively transmitted within schools.
Greater Kelowna accounts for about threequarters of all COVID-19 cases in the Okanagan, a fact that’s mirrored in the school system, where new exposure notices are issued almost daily.
The latest exposure notices, issued Thursday, cover Canyon Falls Middle School and Rutland Senior Secondary.
“All individuals are self-isolating at home with support from local public health teams. Interior Health follows up with anyone potentially exposed to a confirmed case directly through contact tracing,” states a press release from Central Okanagan Public Schools, using the same wording as on all such previous releases.