B.C. Premier John Horgan says the province is hoping to see a return to some in-person classes in schools in June.
Its part of a plan outlined by the province as Horgan says the province is working with teachers, school districts and parents to ensure a safe return.
“It’s not just about reading, writing, and arithmetic. I answered a question from a young viewer who wanted to get back to school to see her friends, and that is a reasonable thing for young people to do,” he said. “But we want to make sure that that is done safely, and we don’t want anyone to feel like they’re obliged [to go back in June].”
There are about 550,000 K to 12 students in the province who have been doing their classes online for more than a month. For the most part however, they will only be returning to school in September. Students in post-secondary education will also return in September with a mix of online and in-class learning
“We’ve seen virtual learning taking place over the past number of weeks. Positive outcomes there, but its not perfect,” Horgan said. “We want to make sure we can do a dry run between the beginning of June to the end of June, we’re not anticipating any increase in in class teaching until well after the May long weekend.”
The province is not anticipating any increase to in-class teaching until after the May long weekend. The province has said previously it will prioritize classroom space for children of essential workers.
“Are there concerns? Absolutely. But there is also an overwhelming desire to get back to a place where we can have kids interacting with each other, leaning about not just how to read, how to write, and how to count, but also how to interact with other people.”
When schools do return, there will be smaller class sizes, more space between desks and alternating attendance, with plans being made over the summer for more remote online learning, especially for high school children. There will also be routine daily screening for COVID-19 symptoms for all staff and students.
As well, all international students in B.C. schools will have to undergo a 14-day self-isolation period.
In a tweet from the BC Teachers’ Federation, the union says no major reopening date yet is a key takeaway, with more details on the voluntary expansion still being worked out.
Key points for #bced #covid19bc:
1 – No date for major reopening. Not this spring.
2 – Many kids have been in school all along. It has been safe. There will be slow, voluntary expansion.
3- Planning/details still in the works. Patience is required.
4 – Safety is top priority.— BCTF (@bctf) May 6, 2020
