The Kamloops-Thompson Teachers Association says government safety plans for schools are not always being followed on the ground.

President Laurel MacPherson says one of the biggest challenges is enforcing mask-wearing where required.

“When you’re looking at a number of students, administration isn’t going to be able to monitor all the mask wearing, so then it does fall to teachers to ensure that masking is done in common areas and outside cohorts.”

Despite that, MacPherson says the school district has been responsive in making sure cleaning protocols have been followed.

“The district has hired 17 custodians and I think there have been other CUPE staff that have gone to sites to clean, in some cases. Some schools are very large and there are a lot of students in there, so sometimes it’s a challenge to keep up with everything,” MacPherson says.

“But I think they’ve done their best to ensure that surfaces are cleaned.”

And she says the KTTA is “quite pleased” with how the district has addressed concerns about personal protective equipment. She says masks are readily available for teachers and Plexiglass has been installed in classrooms where needed.