Classroom COVID-19 protocols need work, says BCTF president

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) —  For the first time since the pandemic hit, most students in B.C. are back in the classroom, except the typical excitement for teachers is being tempered by worry, according to the head of their union.

BC Teachers’ Federation President Teri Mooring says progress is being made on COVID-19 safety measures in schools, but it’s frustrating it wasn’t all completed before students arrived

“We are starting the school year in a situation where all the preventative measures that could be in place are not in place.”

Mooring says this includes simple things, such as some classes not having soap or washing stations, and some districts rationing ministry provided face shields.

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“There’s no reason for that and that’s one of the few preventative measures in place that every teacher that wants a face shield needs to be supplied a face shield and we’re just working through actually with government some of these issues.”

Mooring says a lack of supply from the province isn’t the issue, it’s districts not getting or hearing the right message from the ministry.

She says the province has told districts they can request more face shields to be delivered, but Mooring says the miscommunication is widespread in B.C.

“We’re doing a lot of problem-solving over the next while, and ensuring that classrooms are set up as they should be and the measures that were guaranteed to us by the province are indeed in place,” she says.

A lack of oversight from some districts and the province is putting the burden on teachers to figure out the issues, she adds.

However, the silver lining of the pandemic, Mooring says, is the conversations students and teachers are already having about social responsibility.

“For many students, this is the first time they’ve been able to be in a class and have these conversations with teachers, and it’s really important that we ask them what’s going on in their lives,” she adds.

Mental health is a key reason provincial health officials wanted students back in school.

Thursday and Friday are both designated orientation days for returning students to learn the new COVID-19 protocols at their schools.

Increasing physical distancing measures has been a key point for the BCTF heading into the fall semester, as it kept the pressure on the province to increase safety measures.

The $242-million of federal funding for B.C. schools to ensure a safe return for students will be dispersed among individual districts to use how they see fit.

For the latest back-to-school news during the COVID-19 pandemic, click here.