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By Dylana Kneeshaw

BACK TO SCHOOL

Province to mandate masks for staff, some students when they return to school

Aug 17, 2020 | 2:03 PM

VICTORIA — The B.C government now says masks will be required for certain students when school returns in September.

In a release issued Monday (Aug. 17), the Ministry of Education says school districts have been given updated operational guidelines for classes to return.

Masks will now be required for staff, middle and secondary students in high traffic areas. These would include buses, commons areas like hallways, or anytime students are outside of their learning group and physical distancing cannot be maintained.

The ministry says exceptions will be made for students who can’t wear masks due to medical reasons. Even while staff and students are wearing masks, they will be required to maintain physical distancing measures with those outside of their learning group.

The province will also be purchasing up to 1.5 million masks to ensure this is possible. This would allow for every public school staff member and students to have at least two masks on hand. The province is also providing $45.6 million for enhanced cleaning, hand-washing stations, reusable masks and other safety measures.

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In addition, manufacturing company Canadian Shield will be donating an additional 54,500 face shields for K-12 schools in B.C.

The release states the guidelines also cover key components of delivering K-12 education during the pandemic. Including curriculum, report cards, supports for students with disabilities/diverse abilities, and finance and operations. Individual school districts will be providing further details to parents, students and school staff by August 26.

Health and safety guidelines include:

• increased cleaning of high-contact surfaces like doorknobs, keyboards, desks and chairs;
• increased hand hygiene with all students, staff and visitors being required to clean their hands before boarding school buses and entering school buildings, before and after eating, using the washroom and using playground equipment; and
• school districts may also install transparent barriers for people who have more contact with others, such as front-desk staff, bus drivers or food services staff, where appropriate.

The following expectations are also part of the guidelines for school boards and independent authorities as they finalize their back-to-school plans:

Mental health

• Regular monitoring and assessment will review how changes to the delivery of education impact mental and emotional well-being of students and staff.

Child care

• School districts are to work with on-site before- and after-school child care providers to support learning groups staying together where possible.

Inclusive education

• Students who require more support in school must have full-time, in-class instruction available without any delays.
• Students who need to stay at home because they are immunocompromised should have an at-home learning plan and be provided with an educational program by their school district.
• Education assistants should continue to support students and teachers, including if classes move to remote learning or online.
• Children and youth in care should have priority access to technology, child care, in-class instruction and additional supports.

Blended learning

• In some schools, it may not be possible to have people stay in their learning group or physically distance on a full-time basis.
• For these schools, districts are looking at a variety of options to maximize in-class learning for their students and, in some cases, they may need to offer a hybrid approach for their students with a blend of remote, online and self-directed learning.
• In these situations, schools should prioritize learning that can be effectively done remotely such as key literacy, numeracy and core competencies.
• Vulnerable students and those who require additional support in school should be prioritized for full-time, in-class learning.

Assessments

• Ensure activities, assignments and assessments are accessible to all students and families, as appropriate for any in-class, remote or blended (hybrid) learning.
• School districts must meet the requirements of British Columbia’s Student Reporting Policy, which allows significant flexibility for schools and school districts regarding the content and format of report cards.

Grad program

• In situations where in-class instruction is being supplemented with self-directed or remote learning, the focus should remain on ensuring students are making progress toward completing the graduation requirements.
• This may include further consideration of the flexible options available to students to satisfy graduation requirements, so students who are unable to participate fully in self-directed or remote learning are not disadvantaged.

Indigenous students and families

• Boards must ensure Indigenous rightsholders are engaged in meaningful consultation and school boards will need to work directly with First Nations to develop plans for any Indigenous students living on-reserve and attending public school.
• Boards must also work with Métis Nation for plans for Métis students attending public/independent schools.
• Boards are to identify Indigenous students whose educational outcomes may have been negatively impacted during in-class suspension, with support planned and prioritized.

Food and meal plans for students in need

• Services and supports to continue – including if in-class learning is suspended because of an increased risk of transmission or outbreak.