COCHRANE— Students were back in the classroom on Wednesday (Sept. 2) for the first time since March, and schools, parents and the province are taking as many precautions as possible to keep them safe while creating a sense of normalcy.
Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw issued a health order on Saturday (Aug. 29) clarifying the public health requirements that will be in place at schools.
The order states staff and students in Grades 4 to 12 will be required to cover their faces when in common and shared indoor areas where social distancing is not possible.
The rules on masks are eased in classrooms to ensure that face-coverings do not get in the way of students' ability to learn and communicate.
Where two metres of distance cannot be achieved, Hinshaw said, students should be seated in rows so they are less likely to cough or sneeze directly into the face of classmates.
"We were trying to balance the benefits and harms of masking and figure out how we could best achieve the most appropriate COVID prevention, while at the same time not impeding some of the important functions of school."
Parents and staff have indicated they have mixed reactions when it comes to the return to school, said Calgary Catholic School District superintendent Bryan Szulmas.
“The majority of people want children to resume education and get back into the routine of school,” Szulmas said. “But, there are some parents and some staff members that are very anxious and nervous about the unknown.”
Szulmas said he is feeling confident about the return to school. He added the key to success will be working through the transition back to school together as educators and families.
The Calgary Catholic School District has seen an increase in families choosing online learning and to date, has had 6,500 students from Grades 1 to 12 choose this option. He added that represents slightly over 10 per cent of students.
The school district appreciates the feedback and opinions parents have shared. Szulmas noted that because of these discussions as of Friday (Aug. 28) they opened up online French immersion registration. A second catchment opened on Friday as well for those interested in online learning, closes this Friday (Sept. 4).
“We anticipate somewhere in the neighbourhood of 300 to 400 children will sign up for that,” Szulmas said.
He added families are wanting to visit their local school during the first week to see what schools look like while COVID-19 public health measures are in place. These tours are helping them make up their mind on the route they want to take for their children's education— Be it online or in-person.
For students that opt for in-person learning, masks will be mandatory for Kindergarten to Grade 12 students.
During the day there will be times for students to have mask breaks when social distancing of two-metres space is possible. Schools will also have recess, physical education and lunchtime to have a mask break.
“At Calgary Catholic, we’ve been talking about keeping the space or covering your face,” Szulmas said. “There’s so many different ways and innovative ways to do this— We’re asking our parents to be patient and give us a chance to work with our students, to work with our team to make it work.”
The Calgary Catholic School District has been working on reentry since early May and planning for the return of students based on provincial health measures.
“Everything about COVID-19 changes minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day,” Szulmas said. “We’re rolling with this as we go forward.”
He noted that they know there will be schools and classes where students test positive for COVID-19 and a plan has been put in place to ensure the safety of students and staff.
“Calgary Catholic has been around for 135 years,” Szulmas said. “In our very beginning, Father Lacombe was dealing with the smallpox epidemic here in Alberta. We had the Spanish Flu that we lived with back in 1918— We survived and we thrived … We’re going to get through this as well.”
Like the Calgary Catholic School District, Rocky View Schools has seen an increase in online learning, said board of trustees chair Fiona Gilbert.
To date, they have seen just over 3,000 students choose online learning for the first part of the 2020-2021 school year. They have the option to change to in-person or online learning at the end of January.
Gilbert noted some parents are choosing not to send their children to school because of the expectation students need to be masked while attending classes.
“The mask issues within society and within our municipality and specifically looking at schools, absolutely it’s a polarizing item,” Gilbert said. “There’s just as many parents who feel that ‘yes they should be worn’ as there are that they feel they shouldn’t be worn.”
Rocky View Schools has received emails from many parents, she said, and most seem to indicate they want students to return to as normal as an environment as possible to help alleviate the anxiety and fear some students may be feeling.
While things will be different when students return to in-person learning, Gilbert said, many experiences will remain the same.
“I think it’s important to remember all the things that will be the same— Their teacher will be there, their friends will be there, there will be some cool learning happening and there will be some fun activities,” Gilbert said. “There’s still lots for students to look forward to.”
It is not the same scenario schools faced in March when they closed, she said, explaining Rocky View Schools is doing its best to ensure the transition back to in-person learning goes well.
For parents exploring learning options, home education is growing in popularity, said Alberta Homeschooling Association President Judy Arnall.
She said 2020 has seen exponential growth in home education.
Homeschooling is a great fit for some families she said because it is more personal and can be customized based on the needs of a student. She noted parents have three options for homeschooling— Parents as teachers, separate teachers or a mix of both.
“We’ve seen a big interest in it. Whether or not that translates into people who legally notify for it we won’t know until later in the fall,” Arnall said.
The Alberta Homeschooling Association Facebook group jumped from 2,400 members in May to 8,500 members by the end of August.
More concrete numbers on students opting for home education will be available after Sept. 30, Arnall said.
Parents interested in home education have indicated COVID-19 is a major factor in their decision.
“It’s probably what they’re running away from, rather than what they’re running to,” Arnall said with a laugh. “We’re hearing from a few parents who said, ‘I’ve always wanted to home school and now this is the push I need.’”
Some parents may think it’s difficult for their young children to return to schools filled with public health measures, she said, and home education may be an appealing option.
When it was announced masks would be mandatory for Grade 4 to 12, Arnall said they saw interest in home education peak.
Echoing Arnall's comments, assistant program director for Koinonia At-Home Education Amy Cousin, said interest in home education seems to have peaked.
“There’s been an increase like never before,” Cousin said. “There’s a lot of non-resident school boards that are full and are at capacity and can’t take anymore.”
For the most part, families are just looking for something to provide stability for the year or are enjoying the time they have had with their children since March, Cousin said, while others may be scared of COVID-19 or against exposing their children to the current public health measures in place.
For those looking to pursue home education, Cousin said, she recommends researching to learn about what it is like and to talk to other homeschoolers.
“Take the time to learn about it and don’t panic,” she said. “Make phone calls and talk to boards, to talk to other families to see if it’s the right fit.”
The Cochrane Eagle conducted an informal poll at the Zero Gravity Skatepark and the Cochrane Bike Flow Park on Sunday (Aug. 30) to ask locals, "How do you feel about students returning to school?"
Cochranite Garry Sutherland said it is great to see students returning to the classroom, but cautioned that everyone's health and safety needs to be top of mind.
His three grandkids are looking forward to the return to school because they will be able to get together with their friends. He added they are a little apprehensive about wearing masks but know face-coverings are necessary to keep others safe.
“I think it’s great that they are going back to school. Unfortunately, there’s got to be a lot of precautions by the school, the province, the parents and the children themselves. They have to put up with the mask and follow the rules," he said. "Everyone will stay safer and healthier.”
Local dad Jesse DeCosta said he is glad his two children have grown up in home education and he does not have to worry about the return to in-person learning.
He said he is worried about the psychological effects the health measures will have on students who return to schools.
"If I sent our kids to school I don’t think that socially its healthy for them right now. I’m not too concerned with the so-called pandemic itself," DeCosta said. "I think psychologically the effect it is having on kids is overwhelming negative.”
It will be challenging to get young children to follow current public health measures like wearing a mask and following socially distancing guidelines, he said.
“Kids aren’t like that. They don’t experience the world like that. It’s not the healthy way to raise a child,” he said. “You’re teaching them essentially that other human beings are something to be avoided.”
Cochrane mom Jennifer Spackman said her family is creating routines to help encourage proper hygiene and take away the scary parts of returning to school.
For now, Spackman said she is hopeful things will go well when schools reopen, but added she will not be surprised if outbreaks occur.
“I am pretty apprehensive about it— The decision was kids go back to in-person … We are a little apprehensive the cases are slowly rising here.”
The return to school will be good for the mental health of children, she said, adding she appreciates the access to a good learning environment her children will have in the classroom.
Spackman said she is working with her children to talk about the COVID-19 virus and proper hygiene practices to keep them safe while at school.
“The boys have expressed that they have enjoyed staying at home and having family time,” Spackman said, but noted they are also eager to get back to seeing their friends at school. “It’s no fun learning math from your mom.”
-With Files From The Canadian Press
