(Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today)

By Dylana Kneeshaw

BACK TO SCHOOL

Kamloops students return to classrooms with revamped safety protocols

Jun 2, 2020 | 5:00 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s not a typical back-to-school look for students in the Kamloops-Thompson District this week, but in-person classes have resumed for those who chose to return.

At Beattie Elementary, eager students waited in the marked line-up area outside the building, mindful to resist hugging friends they haven’t seen in weeks, and staying within two metres of another.

Teachers were on hand at the entrance to ask whether a student had symptoms before directing them to a hand washing station, and eventually — a classroom.

The return is voluntary and Principal Blair Lloyd says it was a heavily reduced study body for the first day.

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“We had about 50 kids arrive today, and they’re on the 50/50 and essential priority learner schedule. So that’ll increase on Thursday and Friday, we’ll get over 80 kids coming then.”

Beattie staff had put together a video for parents and kids to watch before Tuesday (June 2) outlining how the day would go, so Lloyd says students knew what they were supposed to be doing.

“The kids are typically much closer together and they do things like tag and football and that kind of stuff. But they all seem to be well trained before they even came. They knew about social distancing,” he says, “We made a how-to video for the school, so most of them have seen that and they knew what the new rules are.”

Drop-offs and pick-ups have different methods as well. School buses are still operating with limited passengers, and parents/guardians are asked to stay back from the building while waiting for their children.

SD73 Assistant Superintendent-Elementary Trish Smillie says elementary schools will have a limited number of students in the building for two voluntary days a week, with online learning for the remaining days. Secondary students meanwhile, will be in class for one day a week, unless they need a more hands-on experience.

“High school is a bit different, so Grades 6 to 12, they’re able to have 20 per cent of their students in school at one time, and so we’re focusing on having priority learners, students with disabilities attend school five days a week.”

This week, Education Minister Rob Fleming noted about one-third of B.C. public school students returned to classrooms. He also stated the mix of in-person, and online education will continue until a vaccine becomes available, so the hybrid school system is expected for September.

The in-person instruction will be brief before summer break, but Smillie says it’ll give them a chance to test out the system.

“Our provincial health officer has assured us that it’s safe for our staff and students to be in at this time,” she notes. “And it’s a perfect time for us. We get to connect with our students before they go off for the summer, and we’re able to look at our health protocols and make sure that they’re up to snuff, and make sure that we have a smooth start up in the fall.”