Province considering early start to winter school break

“We’re going to look most closely at what’s going to make a difference in the different health regions, working closely with school districts about whether something like that might be advisable,” explained Minister of Education, Rob Fleming.

With a number of schools in the lower mainland being forced to closed due to outbreaks and/or staffing challenges, the PG Teachers District Association says it’s not worth the risk, adding an early break would be an appropriate action.

“People are now staying regional, so people are travelling; people are travelling down to the Lower Mainland and returning, people are going out of province and returning. We don’t know what they’re returning with,” says Joanne Hapke, President of the PG District Teachers Association. “There are no isolation rules for anybody to have to follow when they come back into Prince George so we’re waiting. If it can happen down there, why can’t it happen here?”

Speaking in support of an early break, Hapke does say it’s still a ways away and there’s much that can still be done leading up to it in order to further protect students, staff, and furthermore their families.

“We have our second quarter in high schools happening next week and teachers will have to start making plans as to what is that going to look like if an extra week is taken away from them because one week is two weeks of typical time,” said Hapke. “We’re also saying there are other measures that could be made now that will support teachers now, and that is making masks mandatory, reducing class sizes where necessary.”

Hapke added that winter break being four weeks away is a long time for anything to happen in the province of BC, as well as in the district.

But it may not be so simple as the province is weighing the positives and negatives of making changes to the winter break before coming to its own decision.

“There are many essential workers in our community, and finding places for children to be safe during the day needs to be considered,” Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry mentioned on Monday during her COVID-19 update briefing.

Dr Henry said the province has been looking at the option “for some time” and continues to work in order to determine whether an early break would have the intended outcome.

The Province is keeping an eye on what other jurisdictions are doing. Ontario says they will keep students in the classroom up until the winter break, however, they may extend the break into January if they can’t get covid cases under control.

Superintendent of SD57, Anita Richardson, says they’ve yet to hear anything from the Ministry of Education on a possible change to an earlier winter break.

As things stand right now, it appears the province will thoroughly consider the possibility, weigh their options, before making a decision.

by Ethan Ready

Province considering early start to winter school break

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