Grant Park High School students walk out

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This article was published 28/01/2022 (1348 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Grant Park High School student Brie Villeneuve hasn’t attended in-person classes since before the winter break and has no plans to do so any time soon.

The 18-year-old Grade 12 student (who uses they/them pronouns) is immuno-compromised. They live with family members who have comorbid conditions, and because of this, they say they don’t feel safe attending class in person at this time.

“I’ve talked to other students who have felt the same way and agree that especially with the Omicron variant, and its surge coming up, that going back to in-person without increased safety measures or the option of remote (learning) is not a good move on the part of the provincial government,” Villeneuve said.

Villeneuve was one of the organizers behind the MB Students for COVID Safety walkout, which took place before lunchtime on Jan. 17.

Students at schools across Winnipeg participated in the protest to highlight a lack of COVID-19 safety measures in light of the return of in-person classes.

Over a dozen students walked out of Grant Park High School before lunchtime on Mon. Jan. 17 — the same day in-person classes resumed.

The students demand for remote learning be an option for all. They also want classmates to have better access to booster shots, rapid tests, and N95 masks. Villeneuve said the group also wants school administrations to increase the speed at which they release information about positive cases in schools.

Samantha Keen exited the front doors of Grant Park High School with a group of Grade 10 classmates at 11:30 a.m.

“I feel like we’re not being heard, and this is a great way to get people’s attention,” Keen said.

Like Villeneuve, Keen believes in-person learning is not a safe option right now and wants school trustees and the provincial government to take notice. Keen said online classes are the safer bet for students until case numbers drop.

“It’s just not safe for the people in my family,” Keen said, adding that she and her family members are immunocompromised.

Keen entered the school that Monday morning feeling anxious and stressed, she said. She felt as though the safety precautions Grant Park employed that day weren’t much different from the last time in-person classes took place — aside from the distribution of new medical-grade face masks.

While she said some classmates prefer being at the school, she believes safety should come first.

“It’s a mixed opinion really,” she said. “Some kids in our school aren’t double-vaxxed. So they’re putting themselves in danger, too, just for the sake of education. I feel as though we should have an education but still be safe.”

One out of three of Villeneuve’s teachers currently offers a remote learning option. Villeneuve said they’re on track to graduate on time this year but that administration has yet to decide how, or if, it will conduct final exams remotely.

The walkout caught the attention of Jamie Dumont, a trustee for the Winnipeg School Division.

“What we heard from students who participated in the walkout is that they want options that will help reduce the number of people in school buildings to support safety and physical distancing, and they want the provincial government to make those options, and the resources needed to make them possible, available,” Dumont’s statement read.

Up-to-date information about the Winnipeg School Division’s pandemic response plan can be found online.