The first day of school for BC is presently set for Sept. 7th, which coincides with Step 4 of BC’s Restart Plan.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside, and BC School Trustees Association President Stephanie Higginson are holding a press conference on Friday, June 18th to update the province on back to school plans for September.
This conference will cover elementary and secondary schools, and is set for 9:30 am.
BC was one of the few provinces with schools open with safety plans in place during the pandemic. Union representatives and student advocates are worried about things going completely back to normal prematurely. They’re hoping some precautions such as distancing, hand washing stations, and masks will remain in place come September.
“There are certain things like cleaning, for example. With the additional funding for cleaning, schools have been brought up to where they should have been all along. We also think masks need to be available [since] younger students won’t be vaccinated.” said Teri Mooring, president of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) via CBC News.
The plan will especially need to consider students with special needs and COVID high-risk students.
Representatives and advocates have also called for a broad mental health strategy for students and teachers to return back to normal, and move past the challenges of the past 15 months
Step 4 of BC’s restart plan suggests masks as a personal choice and return of pre-pandemic social interactions.