A Coquitlam parent worried high schools full of students will cause a spike in COVID-19 cases says he wants staggered start times to reduce crowded choke points and a requirement to wear masks in the classroom, not just in hallways.
In a letter from Superintendent Patricia Gartland, SD43 said some schools would be offering staggered pick-up, break and drop-off times and not all schools have followed suit.
“You are having all the kids on the same day, it seems that you’re almost jumping to the end…it’s insanity,” said Geoff Hunt, whose son is going into Grade 11 at Dr. Charles Best, one of the schools which has not decided to implemented a staggered bell schedule.
Like most other high schools in the province, Best is providing a blend of classroom and home learning for students.
But Hunt worries that having all 1,200 to 1,400 students at school for one 2.5 hour block in the morning could cause problems.
And while parents are supposed to keep kids home if they're sick, having them do daily health checks may be beyond their knowledge or ability, he said.
“You can’t have gatherings of 30 people, why would you let them gather at school?” he said, suggesting Tri-City back to school plans are the opposite of what’s been preached by B.C.’s top doctors for most of the pandemic.
In the past week, Dr. Charles Best’s schedule has been updated three times, creating confusion for parents. And while Hunt said he’s sympathetic to the issues administrators face, he thinks the plan could have been better thought out.
Much of the blame he passes on to the province, which Thursday, revealed how it will spending $242.4 million in federal funds.
The money — announced just days before school starts — will allow school districts to hire more staff and provide more remote learning options for students.
Hunt’s concerns were put to School District 43 Superintendent Patricia Gartland this week, who said students will stay in a single class for the first block, won’t be moving around inside the building, and will be required to wear masks and physical distance when outside the learning group.
Administrators won’t be “policing” students, but there will be an expectation that everyone will respect the safety protocols that have been put into place.
“This whole implementation by the health officer really requires compliance. We are encouraging everyone to be safe and to do their part to help others to be safe. It’s everyone’s responsibility to respect these health and safe protocols,” Gartland said.
High schools will also have fewer students in the afternoon when learning groups will be mixed to accommodate the wide variety of electives open to students.
In the afternoon block for Law 12, for example, half the students will go home to do self-paced learning and half will be with their teacher. That means there will only be about 15 students in the class, offering enough room for physical distancing.
Then they will switch part-way through the eight to nine-week semester so everyone has the benefit of some face-to-face learning, which is seen as crucial, Gartland said.
As well, she expects schools will use multiple entrances and exits to avoid crowding when school starts and ends. All ventilation systems have been maintained to WorkSafeBC standards and were checked this summer. Keeping doors and windows open will likely be used for added ventilation.
Still, father Geoff Hunt isn’t convinced the plan is safe and wonders why schools are allowed to have more people inside a school than the provincial health officer allows for other places, such as churches, restaurants and grocery stores.
He also thinks students should be required to wear masks full-time, even in classrooms with their learning group.
“I can’t understand how they think this is going to work. Abandoning social distancing and masks seems like a plan for a disaster,” he said.
