The B.C. government is aiming for students in Kindergarten to Grade 12 to be back to school full-time in September B次元官网网址� but parts of the classroom will likely look much different as part of the B次元官网网址渘ew normal.B次元官网网址�

On Wednesday (July 29), Education Minister Rob Fleming and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry unveiled the provinceB次元官网网址檚 education plan amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with Sept. 8 as the return-to-school date for the 2020-21 school year.

Students will be organized into B次元官网网址渓earning groups,B次元官网网址� made up of a consistent group of staff and students in order to reduce the risk of transmission.

Students will be assigned to groups of up to 60 for younger grades and 120 for high school, and does mean that some middle and high school students will see some changes to their daily schedules.

Staff and students will also be required to assess themselves daily for symptoms of the novel coronavirus. If any student or staff member has even mild symptoms, they will be told to stay home.

The province will also be giving $45.6 million in funding to schools to ensure adequate and regular cleaning of high-contact services, as well as increasing the number of available hand-hygiene stations and optional masks.

Most of the other details will be left up to individual school districts, with the province providing general operational guidelines.

Schools in B.C. shuttered doors in March as daily case counts began to increase, requiring parents to home-school their kids. Many struggled to balance working from home with helping their children finish the school year.

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Meanwhile, teachers had to quickly adapt lesson plans to rely on online assignments and virtual teaching.

The province moved to a hybrid model in June, blending voluntary in-classroom and online curriculum. Roughly 200,000 students attended in-person schooling.

Fleming told reporters that the plan follows ongoing planning with Henry and school trustees and administrators from across B.C., based on teacher and parent feedback.

B次元官网网址淲e were the only jurisdiction in Canada that brought students back into the classroom provincewide before the end of the school year and this has given us valuable information that we are using to develop our plans, ensuring health and safety at schools remain paramount,B次元官网网址� Fleming said.

Families can expect to hear from their local school district or independent school in the coming weeks with specific plans for how learning groups will be scheduled, as well as updated health and safety guidelines.

Final details will have to be submitted to the ministry and posted online no later than Aug. 26.

B.C.B次元官网网址檚 top doctor said that she knows how important in-class schooling is for childrenB次元官网网址檚 mental health.

B次元官网网址淲e ask for families and workplaces to continue to be flexible as we come into the fall,B次元官网网址� Henry said.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e put a lot of thoughtful work and consideration into reopening schools this fall and in making sure we re supporting children in ways that keep them, the people who teach them and our communities safe.B次元官网网址�

In a statement, the B.C. Teachers Federation said the plan needs B次元官网网址渕ore time and workB次元官网网址� before rolling out B次元官网网址� specifically through consultation with school districts and local unions.

B次元官网网址淚f the plan is rushed or too many questions are left unanswered, it wonB次元官网网址檛 be successful,B次元官网网址� it read in part. B次元官网网址淏ringing everyone back all at once, even with some version of a cohort model on the first day after the Labour Day long weekend is too much

too soon, given the many unanswered questions in todayB次元官网网址檚 announcement.B次元官网网址�

Health officials and political leaders have acknowledged that a surge of coronavirus cases in the fall B次元官网网址� dubbed the second wave B次元官网网址� could possibly foil these plans.

Last week, Premier John Horgan told parents to start thinking about a Plan B but stopped short of offering any specifics.

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ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
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