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Schools in B.C. will partially reopen starting June 1, with students having the option of attending classes part-time during the month.
Premier John Horgan made the announcement Friday, saying the move will pave the way for a “cleaner and smoother” reintroduction of full-time classes in September.
Parents will be able to decide if students go back to school.
“It’s our genuine desire to make sure that no one feels pressured to do this,” Horgan said.
Students from kindergarten to Grade 5 will be in school half-time, possibly two or three days a week.
Education Minister Rob Fleming said elementary schools will be at 50 per cent or less of their normal capacity on school days.
For grades 6 to 12, students will likely be in classes one day a week in the month of June, he said, with 20 per cent of middle and secondary students in school at any one time.
Horgan said it’s understandable that parents or children could be anxious about a return to class after schools were shut down across B.C. on March 17 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fleming said numbers of students will be carefully managed to allow for physical distance and limit physical contact between students.
That will be accomplished by not only by having students at school part-time but also staggering lunch breaks, recesses, drop-offs and pick-ups, Fleming said.
Students and staff will have to clean their hands when entering school property.
“There will be more hand-sanitizing and cleaning stations available, and staff and students and parents must do a self-assessment for symptoms of COVID-19, influenza, the common cold,” Fleming said.
On school buses, there will be only one student per seat unless two students from the same household are sitting together.
Measures will be “very strict,” Fleming said.
Horgan said school openings would not be considered if the government felt there was an undue health risk.
Fleming said the weeks since schools were closed have been challenging for families.
“We understand how difficult this pandemic has been and continues to be on families right across British Columbia,” he said. “For many parents and guardians, this has meant trying to juggle work obligations while taking care of kids at home.
“While precautions like physical distancing and remote learning have been necessary to keep everyone safe, it hasn’t been easy.”
Many students are missing their time at school, and being able to see friends and teachers, Fleming said.
“School’s a place where kids learn how to connect with others,” he said. “It’s a place where they grow as people, and not having those places to learn and grow has been especially hard for children who need extra support or for kids who find that school is their safe haven in their lives.”
Fleming said the advice of provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has been important in planning the opening.
Remote learning will continue for those who choose that option, Fleming said.
School leaders will be contacting families to see if they wish to have their children return to school, Fleming said, with details coming before May 22. Contact your school principal if you don’t hear by then, he said.
When asked if teachers will be required to return to the classroom June 1, he said there a commitment to work at the local level with local teachers.,
He said schools will open in September as long as it is safe to do so.
jwbell@timescolonist.com