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By Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: As government asks us to “do more” to fight COVID, schools politely ask government to do the same

Feb 5, 2021 | 3:12 PM

AS CASE NUMBERS CONTINUE TO RISE, John Horgan is asking British Columbians to “do more” to help curb the spread of COVID-19. This may be somewhat confusing to those who are already doing all they can to keep their loved ones and communities safe. Many have expressed the sentiment that it’s the government that should be doing more in the fight against COVID-19.

As more than a dozen schools in the interior have reported COVID cases and potential exposures in 2021 already, a student at a high school in Maple Ridge has been exposed to the highly transmissible U.K. variant of the virus.

While the government’s revised mask policy for schools is a welcome step in the right direction, parents and teachers have been left needing more and are still demanding improvements following the NDP government’s recent changes to school health and safety policies and funding.

While other provinces continue to disclose the number of adults and students in schools that have been exposed to the virus, B.C. has yet to provide a level of transparent and granular data that would help families understand the full picture and make informed decisions for their children’s schooling. In a letter to the Minister of Health, my colleague and Opposition Critic for Health, Renee Merrifield, and I helped amplify British Columbians’ call for greater COVID data reporting and transparency in B.C. schools.

New studies are revealing that proper ventilation in classrooms may be an important factor in preventing the spread of the virus. While many teachers continue to operate in crowded classrooms with poor airflow, B.C. staff and families are asking government why it has spent less than five per cent of its first installment of federal pandemic funding on ventilation upgrades, a key tenet of their promise to B.C. schools back in September.

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Government not only needs to do more to improve the health and safety conditions in our classrooms but ensure that our students receive the same quality of education across the province, even during these difficult times.

When we heard from numerous parents about the dramatic cut to instructional hours in Vancouver secondary schools compared to the rest of the province, I joined my colleague, MLA for Vancouver-Langara Michael Lee, in writing a letter to Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside asking her to listen to parents’ concerns and work with the Vancouver School Board to amend its restart plan to comply with our province’s instructional time requirements.

As the Opposition Critic for Education, I will do everything I can to hold government to account to make sure we are doing everything we can to support our schools, staff, parents, and students.

While John Horgan and the NDP are asking us all to “do more,” it’s time for them to make that same commitment to B.C. teachers, students and their families.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.