Schools prepare to open during fourth wave

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This article was published 27/08/2021 (1711 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The start of the 2021-22 school year is just around the corner. And while caregivers, educators, administrators and legislators were hoping for a return to “normal,” plans are in place to deal with the coming fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With children under 12 still ineligible for vaccination, about half of students returning to school will be highly susceptible to infection from the highly contagious delta variant of the virus. Since the end of July, one-fifth of new COVID-19 cases in Manitoba have been in children under 10.

On Aug. 24, the province announced it would mandate mask use for all students and staff in schools throughout the province. Vaccination was also mandated for all public workers in high-risk environments, like schools. Employees have until Sept. 7 to receive their first dose, and up until Oct. 31 to be fully vaccinated. Those who aren’t will be required to undergo regular testing, as much as three times per week.

The announcement was welcome news for school divisions throughout Winnipeg, most of which had already announced they would mandate mask use.

“The government has confirmed that that’s what we need,” said Jerry Sodomlak, a trustee and board chair for the River East Transcona School Division, which announced earlier in August masks would be required throughout its schools. “The numbers are jumping up. To me, that’s expected. I don’t think anyone wants it, but it’s needed right.”

It remains the hope of both the RETSD and the Winnipeg School Division that students and staff can enjoy as “normal” a school year as possible, safely.

“WSD will continue to monitor the public health situation and advocate with the Minister of Education and Public Health for measures to ensure all students and staff can learn and teach in a safe and healthy environment,” WSD chief superintendent Pauline Clarke wrote in a letter to parents earlier in August.

As to whether school sports and extracurriculars will return this year, Sodomlak said those decisions are yet to be determined.

“If something happens with this variant, and our numbers explode, they’ll be on hold,” Sodomlak said. “But those activities are important. We’re hoping, we have plans for them to continue.”

Changes to public health orders and the ongoing threat that COVID-19 variants hold for students, staff, and the public have made planning for the 2021-22 school year difficult.

“It’s an arduous process,” Sodomlak admitted. “There are still issues to figure out, which are taking a lot of work to get organized.”

Sodomlak said the board recognizes the hard work that staff, schools, and administration have done to accommodate the division’s 17,000 students and 3,000 employees in a safe matter.

“We also feel for parents and people in the community,” he added. “Their lives are in turmoil too. We can’t make it work for everyone all the time, but we’re trying to make it work given the situation we’re in. We’re hoping this will pass in time and we can finally get back to some sense of normal.”

Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist

Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca or call him at 204-697-7112

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