B.C.’s back to school approach has caused undue anxiety, says opposition
Posted August 19, 2020 7:24 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – With just over three weeks to go before most B.C. students are set to resume in-person learning, many parents are still waiting for individual school districts to reveal how that’s supposed to work.
The opposition BC Liberals are now framing the anxiety and uncertainly caused by this as a clear sign that the government’s back to school plan — or lack thereof — has been a failure.
“It’s unbelievable the amount of letters I’m getting, messages I’m getting from everybody who’s involved in this, and it’s all stemming from zero plan from the government,” says education critic Dan Davies.
“Parents are very concerned, parents are full of anxiety, and they’re not too sure what September looks like for their children, or for their families.”
While broad guidelines have been provided by the Ministry of Education, including the establishment of learning groups meant to promote physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the details have been left for the individual school districts to work out.
RELATED: Vancouver school trustee calling for special board meeting to fine-tune district’s restart plan
Plans must be submitted and available for parental scrutiny by Aug. 26, and students must return to the classroom for orientation by Sept. 10.
“Parents need to be making schedules around, you know, what does the work look like for their families, what does daycare look like if they need it and how is that going to work, and having that short little time to plan it is not good enough,” says Davies.
In an open letter to Education Minister Rob Fleming, BC Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson calls for the establishment of a province-wide framework ensuring districts can safely implement both in-class and distance learning options, with the same learning standards across the board.
Many parents seeking out at-home learning programs for the fall have found them all to be filled up, and Davies argues homeschooling is not is a realistic option for many families.
NEWS 1130 has also heard from education assistants, who are terrified about going back to work because of a lack of clarity around safety and programming.
This week, the Ministry of Education made mask-wearing mandatory for all school staff, and for students Grade 6 and up, in high-traffic and common areas. The rule does not apply to classrooms.
