Students back in class Sept. 10 for ‘orientation,’ education minister says
VICTORIA — B.C. students will be back in school classrooms on Sept. 10, but their first week will be focused on “orientation” to the changes caused by COVID-19 and they may not be in classes all day, says the education minister.
Rob Fleming announced Wednesday that the first week of school, Sept. 8 to 11, will be an “orientation week” for students and teachers.
Instead of children returning to class on Sept. 8, as the government had originally proposed, students will be delayed to Sept. 10 to give teachers and staff time to prepare the changes required to classrooms, hygiene and safety. Once students return, they will spend Sept. 10 and 11 getting familiar with their classrooms, finding out what class they have been assigned to and receiving information about what learning group they are in. The groups, ranging in size from 60 to 120 students depending on the grade, will be a group that students can socialize with and attend classes like gym, library and recess.
“This is the best scenario, I think, to continue to build the confidence and familiarity with the protocols in place,” said Fleming.
For parents worried about child care, the hours kids will be at school the first week remain in flux. Fleming said it will be up to local school districts to decide if Sept. 10 and 11 will be full or partial days. That means, in some schools, parents will be required to find child care for their kids.
“For parents that are looking at child-care options for that first week, they are going to have to hear from their local schools about how many hours their child is expected to be in school on Day 1 and 2,” said Fleming.
Teachers, who had called the government’s first backto-school timetable earlier this month too hasty, said this version is a step in a better direction and gives them the necessary preparation time during the first week of what will be a dramatically different school year.
“This is a good start,” said the B.C. Teachers’ Federation president Teri Mooring. “It’s still a work in progress …
There’s lots of work left to do, but I’m confident we have the time to do it.”
Premier John Horgan said Wednesday he understands the anxiety of parents, but believes the plan is safe and considered.
“One size does not fit all, we all understand that, but we also understand it’s fundamental to re-establishing normalcy in our communities that we have safe places for our kids to be so they can learn and grow and socialize,” said Horgan.
“These are fundamental parts of people’s lives and we want to make sure we manage it as carefully as we can.”
School districts will be required to create detailed operating guidelines on the restart of the school year by Aug. 17. The government has instructed the districts to work on ensuring students have the right support, maximizing physical distance between children and ensuring before- and after-school child care on school grounds that will allow students to stay within their learning groups, according to government.
The altered back-to-school plans come after the government’s initial restart plan was sharply criticized for being too hastily implemented.