School divisions and more react to extension of public health measures

Guidance has been sent to all the school boards, she noted, about how to handle the upcoming semester, and they’ll have autonomy to decide which health measures work best for them.

While LaGrange still encourages students and parents to screen daily for symptoms, to stay home if unwell, and continue to wash hands, she said her government will not make masks mandatory, nor place any restrictions on student activities.

However, they will introduce temporary vaccination clinics in-schools so that students in grades seven to 12, as well as staff, may voluntarily partake. That will begin Sept. 7.

Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) plans to continue following the latest COVID procedures provided to them by the provincial government earlier this summer.

Superintendent Kathleen Finnigan references the 2021/2022 School Year Plan laid out in June, paired with recommendations from Hinshaw on July 28.

Finnigan spoke to rdnewsNOW on Thursday, and was hoping an eventual announcement would provide clarity on mask-wearing, as well as contact tracing and quarantining.

One difference between the recommendations Finnigan is following and the announcement Friday is that the government is no longer eliminating the need to quarantine after a positive test. But those who test positive will still be responsible for letting their own close contacts know.

Masking is also not provincially-mandated in school settings for any group, except on the school bus.

Finnigan says measures have already proven a success, with St. Patrick’s Community School open since Aug. 9. Finnigan says the division is ready to adjust on the fly. When other schools start, it will be staggered and parents won’t be allowed inside.

“Early communication is always appreciated, but I had two documents to help me make the decisions,” Finnigan says, with some accusing Alberta Education of dragging its feet on communicating with school divisions. “We’ve kept our mid-day cleaners, and our masking is optional. We’re not going to be in cohorts, but if we need to, we will.”

Red Deer Public Schools (RDPS) issued a statement after Hinshaw and LaGrange spoke, saying they, “appreciate having some clarity on how we can keep students and staff healthy and well.”

RDPS Board Chair Nicole Buchanan believes the extension of restrictions and monitoring of the dynamic situation is welcomed and important.

“We, along with families and staff have been anxiously waiting, given both the easing of restrictions and increased concerns of growing COVID cases.”

She adds they’ll use information gathered through their in-house family engagement process, including a survey emailed to all parents/guardians this week.

Kurt Sacher, Superintendent for Chinook’s Edge School Division, told rdnewsNOW Thursday they intended to wait for the guidelines from Alberta Education, and base their re-entry plan on it.

Sacher’s confident they’ll have enough time to formulate a plan.

“By middle of August will give us plenty to set ourselves up appropriately and ensure student and staff safety,” he says. “At the end of the day, that’s our number one goal. We’re trying to be a little bit understanding that the government has its own challenges it’s facing.”

The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) said Friday the announcement contains positive items, but gaps and questions remain. President Jason Schilling says the ATA’s members will be most pleased about the six-week extension.

However, the ATA is concerned about the use of a 10 per cent threshold of absenteeism before bringing in enhanced COVID controls.

“Waiting for 200 students in a large city high school to become infected at the same time is a recipe for disaster that could be avoided with a lower threshold,” he says.

“It’s disappointing that government has abdicated so much of its leadership and responsibility on this file to school boards. We know this issue has become unnecessarily divisive and political. The minister has now left school board trustees to make tough decisions and take the heat.”

Developing a plan based on consultations with the ATA, and the rest of the education community would’ve been preferred, he said.

Meantime, the opposition NDP say the biggest plus is vaccines being offered in schools.

Health Critic David Shepherd says, however, that Premier Jason Kenney is, “kicking the can down the road,” noting the situation is similar to last August when case numbers, hospitalization rates, and ICU admissions were all rising.

“It appears that public health decisions are still being driven more by the political motives of Jason Kenney than by professional public health advice,” Shepherd said.

He’s also accusing the government of forcing teachers and school trustees to try and be public health experts, with school boards and parents ultimately being left in the dark.

“It’s bizarre to hear Dr. Hinshaw say she is preserving (measures) because of emerging evidence of Delta variant spread among children, and then hear Adriana LaGrange say the province will do nothing to limit that spread in schools this fall.”

by Jordan Davidson

School divisions and more react to extension of public health measures

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