INNISFAIL – School board officials in the region, both public and Catholic, say they welcome increased COVID-19 protection measures for students, teachers and other staff.
When school resumes, all grades 4 to 12 students in the province will be required to wear non-medical masks in all settings where physical distancing cannot be maintained and in all shared common areas and on school buses.
All staff, including teachers, will also be required to wear the face coverings. Exemptions will be made for students or staff that are unable to wear masks due to medical need.
Mask use by kindergarten to Grade 3 students will be optional.
Kathleen Finnigan is the acting superintendent of Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools which includes schools in Olds and Innisfail.
She said she is pleased with the decision to bring in the new mask provisions.
“Alberta Education has given us a consistent approach to keep children safe,” she said. “Along with hand hygiene, staying home when you are sick, and social distancing measures, we now have one more thing and that’s wearing masks.
“I am pleased and I appreciate the consistency from Alberta Education.”
Schools in the division will be making some physical changes to classrooms to help with COVID prevention, she said.
“We will rearrange our classrooms so our children are forward-facing,” she said. “If we move into group work we will have to have the masks. We will look at how we are moving children into groups and when masks will be needed.
“They will most definitely be needed during transition times (such as moving between classes and during recess time) and we are looking at staggering those transitions so that the flow of children in and our spaces is minimized.”
Physical education classes will be modified to ensure social distancing, she said.
Changes are also being made to religious services to ensure student and staff safety, she said.
“Religion classes will continue because they are in class,” she said. “A lot of times we take our children to Mass on a regular basis, and that will not now occur, but our priests can come into the schools and work with our children.”
Religious celebrations will now occur in schools instead of during off-site Mass, she said.
Kurt Sacher is the superintendent of Chinook’s Edge School Division, which has 11,000 students in the region.
“We’ve said all along that we are not the experts in the field to make sound mask decisions, so we appreciate Dr. Deena Hinshaw (chief medical officer of health) coming forward with government and showing leadership to give us direction in that regard,” said Sacher.
“The fact that she’s given us clarity around what some of the latest research is, what age levels and so on, is a good decision. The fact that it is based on current research and decisions made by health professionals adds to the reassurance.
“Operationally it will definitely bring challenges for the various age levels and the functionality of the classrooms, so we still need to make sense of that and where they (students) are required to wear them and where they are not.”
Asked what challenges he foresees, he said, “For adults who haven’t worn masks and now to be required to wear them on a regular basis is a significant adjustment. Talk to anyone who is in the workplace and who is required to wear a mask, it’s difficult.
“For adults it will be uncomfortable and it will be an adjustment, and also for students probably more so because of the age they are at. It will depend on the age level.”
Students and staff will have to wear masks on school buses, he said.
“You just can’t maintain physical distancing on a bus, so wearing a mask is the way to go,” he said.
He said he is not concerned that kindergarten to Grade 3 students will not need to wear masks.
“The research seems to be showing that they are far less likely to transmit in the first place, and there are additional complications just with the developmental level of the children at that age,” he said.
The division is examining possible online learning opportunities for students who may be at high risk or have family members at high risk.
“We are looking to survey our parents to find out what the need is in that regard,” he said.
As well as face masks, school staff members in all divisions will receive reusable face shields, which can be used at the discretion of the individual staff member. Masks will still be required for staff members using the shields.
Other measures being implemented include the distribution of more than 400,000 litres of hand sanitizer to schools, and two contactless thermometers for each school.
As well, Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services plan to expand testing capacity for in-school staff, teachers and students.
Individual school divisions are developing back-to-school plans based on the provincewide Alberta Recovery Plan released in July.
The government says it will modify the provincial plan if necessary going forward.
Michael Kerfoot is the chair of the Cremona School parent council.
“Ultimately we have to abide by the science,” said Kerfoot. “If people more knowledgable than most of us perceive this to be helpful, we can buy into that.”
Jason Nixon is the Sundre-area MLA and minister of Environment and Parks.
“We have to work to get kids back so school,” said Nixon. “I don’t think anybody thinks we can have a situation where children are not being educated for another year. Obviously we need to keep working with school boards to keep everyone as safe as possible.”
Asked if he knows when the new masks in school regulations may be lifted, he said no.
Dr. Hinshaw says a number of COVID prevention measures are planned for schools.
“While masks are important, I want to stress that they are only one of the many public health measures in place to limit the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of students, staff and families,” said Hinshaw.
Education Minister Adriana LaGrange says the province's reopening plans will keep students safe; NDP Education critic Sarah Hoffman says the government is not providing enough resources in terms of custodial and education support.
The Alberta Teachers Association did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
More than 1.6 million masks will be distributed to 740,000 students and 90,000 staff members in public, separate, Francophone, charter and independent schools.
