Photo: Shaun Penner

By Shaun Penner

"Near-normal" return

Grande Prairie MLA pleased, confident in province’s return to school plan

Jul 22, 2020 | 5:30 AM

Grande Prairie’s MLA is happy to see the province going ahead with a “near-normal” return to the classroom in September.

Responding to Tuesday’s announcement that students would be returning to the classroom for the first time since March in time for the start of the new school year, Tracy Allard says it is the right move to make.

“As a parent for sure, I understand the need for kids to get back into classes,” said Allard. “I know that my daughter is very excited about being back in the classroom in the fall again.”

Allard adds that over the last four months, she has felt a majority of her constituents in the Swan City have echoed that sentiment, especially after three-and-a-half months of at-home learning.

“While people have been patient, there’s definitely been an undertone from parents of, really, the desire to see their kids get back to some ‘more normal’ calendar and schedules. Both for their mental health and their educational goals. I think it’s the best-case scenario.”

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Premier Jason Kenney and Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announced the return to classes plan Tuesday afternoon, listing several health measures that will be put in place, including having hand sanitizers at entry ways and in classrooms, frequent cleaning of classrooms, grouping students in cohorts, and planning for physical distancing.

School divisions will also be able to stagger start times for classes, recesses and lunches, should they choose.

In addition to those measures, Allard, who is a member of the Student Transportation Taskforce, says plans are in the works to keep students taking the bus safe.

“We’re looking for students to sit in cohort groups, so from the same neighbourhood or the same family,” said Allard. “We’re going to physically distance as best as we can on the buses, and we are also going to require the buses be thoroughly sanitized after every route.”

Though those measure address several issues, the province’s teachers’ union says those measures will only be successful if the province provides clear direction to local school boards about how to properly implement them.

“Statements of broad principles are not sufficient,” said ATA President Jason Schilling. “Districts and schools are not well positioned to interpret or operationalize vague direction. Government needs to set and fund clear and specific mandates for risk mitigation.”

Allard is confident, though, after recent discussions with the Grande Prairie Public School Division, the Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools, the Peace Wapiti Public School Division and Conseil scolaire du Nord-Ouest, that each local division is prepared to handle the new protocols.

That includes being able to have students properly physically distanced, despite there not being a cap on the number of students in a class

“It’s a valid concern, and I don’t want to say that it isn’t, but it is certainly not the only protocol that’s required,” said Allard.

She says that though wearing a mask will not be mandatory, those students who do choose to wear a mask are encouraged to do so, and the Ministry of Education is working to ensure those children are not “stigmatized” for doing so.

“Further to that, there’s a number of other initiatives. Hand hygiene is probably the single most preventative measure that can be undertaken. We will be ensuring that hand hygiene is not only regularly and routinely followed, but that it is followed up on throughout the day.”

Though plans could change in the near future, depending on the spread of COVID-19, Allard is confident in the plan brought forward by Alberta Education.

“We’ve never been here before, certainly I haven’t in my lifetime, and so we are going to have to be fluid and responsive, and we are going to have to continue to exact our common sense at every turn.

“We are relying on school boards in each jurisdiction to do that, and I know for certain the Grande Prairie School Boards are more than up to the challenge.”