INNISFAIL - Chinook’s Edge School Division (CESD) and Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) will both be following the direction of Alberta Health and/or Alberta Education when it comes to any future COVID-19 masking mandates and would not move forward with masking if it was only made a voluntary option, say officials.
Kurt Sacher is the superintendent of the 10,400-student, Innisfail-headquartered CESD.
“We have consistently said that if the experts are expecting something we will comply for sure,” Sacher told the Albertan. “Our position as a school division has been really consistent, that we take our direction from Alberta Education and I know they have listened carefully to what Alberta Health has to say with their expertise, so when we get that direction with those guidelines that mandate those guidelines with masks we certainly would line up with that.
“For anything that is optional, if we left with an option relative to masking, we wouldn’t proceed with a masking mandate in an optional environment because we don’t feel that we have the expertise to make that decision. We don’t implement something unless the experts are mandating it.”
Kathleen Finnigan is the superintendent of the 10,360-student RDCRS based in Red Deer.
“It is important to note that we are educators, which is our specialty, not health care,” Finnigan told the Albertan. “We appreciate our health-care workers as they work hard to share their many gifts and talents in their chosen profession.
“If Alberta Health or Alberta Education mandates masks, we will follow as we have in the past. If they make it optional we do not have the expertise to justify a mandate.”
Finnigan and Sacher’s comments come in the wake of Premier Danielle Smith’s recent announcement that her government will not be allowing future masking mandates.
“Our government will not permit any further masking mandates of children in Alberta’s K-12 education system,” Smith said in a statement.
“The detrimental effects of masking on the mental health, development and education of children in classroom setting is well understood, and we must turn the page on what has been an extremely difficult time for children, along with their parents and teachers.”
The 46,000-member Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) said outright prohibiting future masking mandates from schools may not necessarily be the best policy.
“Going forward, it is irresponsible to take off the table any protective measure that might allow schools to remain open safely and limit the spread of diseases in the larger community,” said ATA president Jason Schilling. “This includes, potentially, mandating the wearing of masks.
“Ideally, the chief medical officer of health, government officials and school boards should be taking this time to identify and implement measures, such as enhanced ventilation and promotion of mass vaccinations, to prepare for the arrival of the next variant of COVID-19 and other potential infectious diseases.”
Smith’s recent maksing announcement came following a King's Bench court ruling.
Court of King's Bench Justice Grant Dunlop ruled the UCP’s February order lifting the requirement for school children to mask was “unreasonable”, saying the decision was made by cabinet and not the chief medical officer of health in breach of the Public Health Act.
Smith says her government is exploring a possible appeal of the court decision.
“I have directed our justice minister to assess whether an appeal (of the court decision) is appropriate, and have instructed our government’s ministers of Justice, Health and Education to alert me to any legislative or regulatory changes that may be necessary to reaffirm or clarify our government’s full authority with respect to this and other health and education matters,” said Smith.
