Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

BACK TO SCHOOL

SD73 superintendent says phased restart a chance to learn along with health professionals

Dec 31, 2021 | 4:17 PM

KAMLOOPS — On Wednesday (Dec. 29), the province announced a phased return to school for students throughout B.C., as health officials and educators continue to learn about the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

CFJC Today caught up with School District (SD) 73 Superintendent Dr. Rhonda Nixon to find out more about what the district has learned about the plan to reopen schools after the holiday break.

“Really, there’s a lot to be taking in at this time, so we don’t want to overwhelm. We also want to be informative,” Nixon explains.

It’s been a busy week for Nixon and the administration staff at SD73. On Wednesday, the province announced a phased return to school for students, which included a conference call between SD73 and some of B.C.’s top doctors.

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“School administrators will use this phased approach to address things like making sure we can continue to safely have classes, to address absenteeism, and program continuity,” Dr. Henry said during her Wednesday media conference.

“They provided that context for us, and an opportunity to ask questions, just in preparation to bring our own district team back,” Nixon explains.

Case counts of COVID-19 continue to rise across B.C., as health care professionals work to understand how the Omicron variant affects patients.

“We have to take time to plan for additional safety measures just in case,” Nixon says. “That’s the big message is that we’re learning together. It’s not like we have a bunch of information and we’re waiting to unveil it. We’re actually learning alongside the health professionals.”

Teachers will return, as previously planned, on Tuesday, Jan. 4. There are certain students who are eligible to return next week, including:

• Students with disabilities and diverse abilities
• Students whose parents work in the health care system
• Students whose parents are other essential workers, as school district capacity allows

All other students will return to class the following week, Jan. 10, after administration, teachers, and staff have had more time to put a comprehensive safety plan into place.

“Parents want to have confidence that we are going to continue with continuity of learning and do that programming online. We can’t provide that detail until we’ve lived this week and we have the details documented,” Nixon says. “Parents can expect to learn about that by Friday next week. I think those are two things parents care about. They want to know their children are safe, and they want to know their education program continues.”