For the first time since September of 2019, parents with students in k – grade 12 system will be allowed to accompany the children into the classrooms on the first day of school on Wednesday, September 7 this year.
The Education Department released it’s plans for back to school yesterday, and all the standard protocols that were in place in June will be retuning.
Minister John Haggie says their priority for the year is to maintain in-person learning.
He says they are trying to minimize the risks while keeping things as normal as possible, and recognizes that being able to accompany their children on the first day concern for parents.
He believes access can be managed on a “local level” so long as there aren’t any major concerns about the prevalence of disease.
He says there is more concern when there are higher levels of traffic in the school, but reiterates that it is about making things as normal as possible.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers Association is pleased to hear monitoring of illness and absences related to COVID-19 will be part of the return plan.
NLTA president Trent Langdon says that throughout the pandemic they have been encouraging people to follow the guidance of the Public Health.
They agree that person-learning is the best option so long as safety prioritized, and that must be the top priority of decision makers.
Langdon says issues in classroom size and compassion, crowding in classrooms and common areas and ventilation quality will be important for them, and these issues will be brought up next week.