(Matthew Tkocz)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

school returns this week

Mixed success in prepping for COVID-19 measures at school, parents say

Aug 29, 2020 | 3:37 PM

The first day of school is going to look like it never has when students return to class this Monday in Red Deer and across the country.

Hopefully, most families will have taken advantage of the days and weeks ahead of that return to practice for what is awaiting them. That includes mask-wearing and handwashing, and in a twist, not sharing things like pencils, glue, and scissors.

A recent survey from Dial Canada asked parents to weigh in on how COVID-19 has impacted handwashing practices; 42 per cent of respondents said handwashing is the number one priority to help their soon-to-be backpack-toting children understand.

Physical distancing (25%) was number two, and not sharing personal items (12%) came in third. Wearing a mask rounded out the top four at 11 per cent.

Mask wearing is mandatory for teachers, and all students from grades four to 12 in Alberta.

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“She can repeat all the new rules back to us, and talk to us about COVID, but the biggest challenge is ensuring she will follow the rules,” says Paige Koster, whose daughter is entering grade one in Red Deer. “We’re also consistently trying to explain she can’t ‘play’ with friends how she used to. That’s been a difficult topic with a lot of ‘whys’ to answer to.”

Cindy Acton’s son is starting grade six, also in Red Deer, and he’s excited to go, pandemic or not.

“Social distancing will be a challenge, for sure. Teachers will have to do a lot of reminding,” she believes. “I’m not sure what the cohorting situation with students will look like either, so that might be hard if he doesn’t end up with his friends.”

Acton’s son has been surprisingly on board with wearing a mask, and has practiced wearing one when the family goes out. She adds that informing him as the school division has released information has too been helpful.

“He knows what’s going on in the world,” she says.

But for a six-year-old, it’s not quite that simple.

“What won’t be difficult? The biggest thing that stands out to me is that some children need connection to feel heard, be it a hand on the shoulder, a smile, and sometimes a hug — all things that won’t be permitted due to restrictions,” Koster points out.

“We’ve had her use a mask any time she’s using a tablet or watching TV. We’ve encouraged more handwashing at home between every activity, explained the no sharing policy over and over, and we’re consistently showing her the space two metres is.”

Snags are inevitable during the return to class, both parents acknowledge. The list of risks is long, and includes kids with underlying illness getting sick, and on the extreme end, a school or the entire system needing to shut down.

“I’m a little worried about possible outbreaks and how that will be handled,” Acton admits. “But I know that all of us are navigating uncharted territory right now, so I’m choosing not to dwell on that too much until we see how things go.”

According to the Dial Canada survey, which was conducted in late May, half of respondents said they are “somewhat concerned” and 38 per cent admitted being “very concerned” about how kids will handle handwashing habits upon return to school.

Just over 12 per cent said they aren’t concerned at all.

An additional question on the survey found 90 per cent of people are washing their hands for the recommended 20 seconds, close to double compared to pre-pandemic.