Back to school report card
As school boards finalize plans to provide a safe setting for students in their return to class since the pandemic began, we asked three experts how Ontario's plan stacks up against the rest of the provinces
After six months of long-haul messaging about keeping social circles small and limiting contact with other people to protect from COVID-19, school is in for September.
It’s causing more than a little anxiety, as parents, students and educators grapple with how to fit hands-on, often messy and always social classroom life into a newly sanitized world.
“The reason we’re doing all this other stuff like not attending large gatherings is because we want to be able to do the essential activities,” said Jason Ellis, a professor of education at the University of British Columbia who’s been monitoring the provinces’ back-to-school plans. “One thing that’s required is going back to school face-to-face.” That doesn’t mean returning to school is easy or carefree. So far, every province is committed to bringing schools back in September. But not all plans are created equal. We asked experts to help grade the plans, looking at COVID-19 protections, backup plans in the event of outbreaks, and how well each province has prepared students, teachers and parents for the mental health challenge of jumping into a riskier environment mid-pandemic.
Here are the back-to-school report cards for each province.
ONTARIO
Average Grade: B The plan: Ontario students will be back to class in September, but their schedules and class sizes may vary depending on where they live. Masks are mandatory for grades 4 to 12. Carr: B+ De Souza-Kenney: B Korol: C
“I think Ontario is a B+ because they’re clear that there are different risks in different areas and planning for that from the start,” Carr said. “And they’re talking about mask use in indoor common areas — for me a common area is a classroom.”
For De Souza-Kenney, Ontario’s plan beats out some of the other provinces in its clarity surrounding online learning, with students opting into a learning mode: in class or online. “It’s more robust than other provinces, you opt into a type of learning and you don’t have to prove that you’re well or unwell,” she said.
Clear guidelines on maskwearing are a plus, Korol said, and she likes the province’s focus on blended learning. But, without a robust strategy to reduce anxiety, Ontario can’t score higher than C for Korol.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Average Grade: BThe plan: British Columbia plans for studies to resume in “learning groups,” to include a maximum of 60 students for lower grades and 120 for high school students. School districts are to post final back-toschool details online by Aug. 26. The province is promoting physical distancing and handwashing, and making masks mandatory for middle and high school students in high traffic areas. Carr: B De Souza-Kenney: C+ Korol: C
Carr likes that the plan outlines steps that seem practical: acknowledging that physical distancing should be practised where possible, for example, but not promising to maintain distance in classrooms, which as she points out “aren’t getting any bigger.”
De Souza-Kenney likes that B.C. is planning ahead to separate students on buses and within classrooms. She also likes the creation of learning groups, but subtracted grades because the plan says students do not need to physically distance within them.
Korol looked at all the province’s plans through the lens of reducing anxiety. In her home province, she wants to see the rationale behind the learning pods more clearly explained. “People are confused by why they need a small bubble, but then it’s expanded for school,” Korol said.
ALBERTA
Average Grade: BThe plan: The province plans to fully reopen schools from kindergarten to Grade 12. Safety measures will be tightened if an outbreak occurs, including reducing class sizes to 20. Carr: B De Souza-Kenney: B Korol: C
Alberta’s adherence to cohorts is a good sign for Carr, mostly to facilitate contact tracing in the event of any exposure. She likes that Alberta is thinking ahead about what to do if the province has an outbreak, but doesn’t understand why class sizes would be reduced only after one is detected. De Souza-Kenney has questions: How big can a cohort be? Is physical distancing still required within a cohort?
Korol raised a couple of red flags, including the use of “when possible” language describing physical distancing, which creates uncertainty for teachers, who are not infectious disease experts.
SASKATCHEWAN
Average Grade: BThe plan: Saskatchewan is bringing classes back Sept. 1. Students at both elementary and high schools will be placed in cohorts. The province says physical distancing is not necessarily practical in school environments and instead focuses on minimizing contact — air high fives are better than hugs, for instance. Carr: B De Souza-Kenney: C+ Korol: C
Carr likes that the province is open about the need to evolve if COVID-19 case loads change, but doesn’t see the utility of creating “quarantine areas” for symptomatic children to be picked up from school. They should just go home and stay home if sick.
De Souza-Kenney likes that Saskatchewan has called for the creation of cohorts but doesn’t think the province goes far enough to develop the idea.
Korol said hand sanitizer should be provided within schools, because requiring students to bring their own could create stress and guilt for those living below the poverty line.
MANITOBA
Average Grade: BThe plan: The Manitoba government is sending students back to the classroom Sept. 8 with new guidelines. High school students may get remote learning in addition to class time. Masks are required for grades 4 to 12. Carr: B De Souza-Kenney: B Korol: C
“I like that they say masks are required when taking the bus because of the opportunity for recirculated air on the bus,” Carr said. Masks, she added, are most important in spaces where people are together for long periods of time and talking.
Making masks mandatory for grades 5 and up is a plus for De Souza-Kenney. She thinks Manitoba could be clearer on its definition of a cohort and the degree to which students can interact within their cohort.
Average: C The plan: All elementary and high school students will be required to attend class in September unless they have a doctor’s note indicating they’re at high risk of COVID-19 complications or they live with someone at risk. Those students will be allowed to study remotely. Masks are required for grades 5 and up except in the classroom. Carr: C De Souza-Kenney: C+ Korol: D
A few points lead to a lower grade for Carr. One is having teachers move from classroom to classroom, instead of students, which she said doesn’t make sense because adults are known spreaders of COVID-19.
The biggest red flag for De Souza-Kenney is the use of the word “bubbles” to describe classroom environments. A bubble is a group of people who only interact with others inside the bubble, which is impossible in school where each student and teacher goes home to their own families, she said.
Korol is concerned about a requirement for doctor’s notes to complete online learning. “Many people feel they are at risk of complications or live with someone at risk, so this is not reassuring messaging.”
NEW BRUNSWICK
Average: B The plan: Students up to Grade 8 will attend school full-time, while high school students will have a combination of remote and in-class learning. Class sizes will be reduced for the lowest grade levels. Carr: A for planning, B overall De Souza-Kenney: B Korol: C
Carr likes that New Brunswick has a more prescriptive plan to reduce interaction in high schools — namely, starting school with a mix of remote and in-class learning.
She also likes the province’s plan to provide subsidies for students who may not already have a laptop to work from at home.
However, Korol noted that the description of subsidies is vague, and “could cause embarrassment or anxiety if families have to apply for devices.”
De Souza-Kenney likes New Brunswick’s online learning options but criticized a plan to maintain a one-metre distance in classrooms, saying the rationale is unclear.
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Average Grade: B+ The plan: Schools are preparing to welcome all students back to class, while drafting backup plans for remote studies if required. Students will be sorted into cohorts that are as
small as possible. Carr: A De Souza-Kenney: B Korol: B
Carr loves that the province has thought about the fact many students are likely to return to school at a disadvantage compared to where they would have been if the previous school year had proceeded normally. P.E.I. is also explicit about setting up “zones” within schools and limiting “cohorts” of students to certain zones.
De Souza-Kenney would like to see the “recommendation” of masks on buses upgraded to a requirement. In general, she felt P.E.I.’s plan for online learning, cohorts and physical distancing was sound.
“P.E.I. gets a boost for mentioning that they will revise the curricula to make up for learning gaps,” Korol said. “Any mention of improving processes as we go is good for anxiety — it gives people hope that there is flexibility.”
NOVA SCOTIA
Average Grade: B+ The plan: Schools will return to 100 per cent capacity in the fall, but Nova Scotia’s plan includes measures to address a second wave of COVID-19. High school students will study primarily online as classes return, while younger students will be in classes full-time. Carr: A De Souza-Kenney: B Korol: B
Carr gave Nova Scotia an A for its staged reopening, with high school students beginning the school year on a remote schedule. De Souza-Kenney praised Nova Scotia’s online learning plans for high school students and its strong maskwearing mandates.
It’s good that Nova Scotia has a flexible second wave plan, Korol said. She also likes that the province plans to provide technology for students, though she questions if 14,000 devices is enough.
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
Average Grade: C+ The plan: The province aims to maximize in-class attendance with the option of a return to remote learning if the COVID-19 risk increases. Carr: B De Souza-Kenney: C+ Korol: D
The clear communication in the plan, with different scenarios to be followed if COVID-19 cases increase, appeals to Carr. But she doesn’t like that bus drivers, and not students, are required to wear masks in a shared space she considers high risk for transmission.
The plan includes a line that physical distancing should not be “overemphasized” for fear of doing psychological harm to students, but De Souza-Kenney said she thinks kids are actually good at learning to stay safe as long as the communication is clear.
YUKON, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, NUNAVUT
Average Grade: B+
The plan: There are no active cases of COVID-19 in any of the three territories. Each plans to send students back to school with new protocols for distancing. Grades 10 to 12 in Yukon will spend half their school days learning online. Carr: A for all three De Souza-Kenney: B for all three Korol: C for NWT, B for Nunavut
“The territories are in a very different situation,” Carr said. “They’re all within the realities of their resources and the communities.”
De Souza-Kenney acknowledges that the territories are in a unique position with no active cases. That said, she would prefer to see more education on physical distancing and mask wearing, especially in Yukon’s plan.
Korol said flexible plans make sense in the territories where community transmission is low. Nunavut has a clear fourstage plan that could serve as a model for other jurisdictions on reducing anxiety. “From an anxiety perspective, anticipating unintended consequences and having a plan for that (helps),” she said.