B.C.’s 60 school districts posted their restart plans Wednesday for September classes, as Education Minister Rob Fleming reiterated the goal of seeing as many students as possible back in school.
Plans include controls on student movement, enhanced cleaning and the formation of learning groups — sets of people who interact primarily with one another — of up to 60 students in elementary and middle school, and up to 120 in secondary school.
In the Greater Victoria School District, elementary- and middle-school learning groups will be assigned entry and exit doors, specific recess times and locations for outdoor play.
At the secondary level, students will have two face-to-face courses per 10-week period, ending up with eight courses for the year.
District superintendent Shelley Green said the plan also includes hybrid options. At the elementary and middle school levels, the hybrid plan includes a combination of two days of in-class instruction, two days of at-home learning with assignments and one day of remote learning led by a teacher. Parents can weigh in on the options through an online survey at sd61.bc.ca.
Green said people realize the need for measures such as learning groups, a concept introduced to the education system by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
“I think they’re getting it,” she said. “They’re listening more to the health guidelines. Really, most of the time, you’re going to be with your class just like you were before, and then you’ll be distanced when you go outside.”
Rich Fleming, interim chairman of the South Park Elementary Parent Advisory Council, said he’s pleased with the district plan and eager to see more details.
“I think it’s going to appease a lot of parents who have been on the fence while trying to work out how to manage,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a perfect solution out there for every single parent, but I think in general, the parent body is quite satisfied with the flexibility it provides.”
Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association president Winona Waldron said she had hoped the province would have consulted with districts about how they could use additional funding from the federal government. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that up to $2 billion will be provided to the provinces and territories to prepare for the return of students to school.
The Saanich School District plan includes increased custodial staff, improved ventilation systems and a software system on school buses used for contact tracing.
Provision is being made for courses such as band in middle and secondary schools, which students can take in classes outside their cohorts if they practise distancing.
Lunch breaks will be staggered in elementary schools, while middle-school students will eat lunch in their classrooms. Secondary students will spread out around their school.
The system for secondary classes will be the same as in the Greater Victoria district.
Saanich School District superintendent Dave Eberwein said it could be “a juggling act” to ensure that students get all the courses they want.
In the Sooke School District, secondary students will take one course at a time for five weeks and also do self-directed learning, while elementary and middle school students will attend full-time.
Face coverings will be required in high-traffic areas in middle and secondary school, and will be optional in elementary schools.
Rob Fleming said schools are “at the heart of our neighbourhoods and communities,” arguing there is no substitute for in-class learning.
Some B.C. students will have been away from a school setting for almost six months when they return Sept. 10, the Education Minister said. B.C. schools shut their doors March 17 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened on an optional, part-time basis for the month of June.
