Aug. 26 was a big day for school divisions across Saskatchewan.
It was the deadline date for all school divisions to post online and communicate to parents and students details of their safe return to school plan, with students returning to classrooms on Sept. 8, no later than end of day, today.
According to a news release from the province, these plans may be updated or refined as students and staff return to school. Further information on testing for the education sector, including reporting and notification, was set to go out to be parents on Thursday. Also, school divisions are also able to access an additional $74.9 million in spending from the Government of Canada.
“As we work with our sector partners to ensure a safe return to school, we know that there will be increased costs associated with staffing, preparation and supplies,” Education Minister Gordon Wyant said in a news release. “With the federal government’s contribution, there is now up to $150 million available to our education sector for costs associated with a safe return to school.”
The province also reported that the first shipment of six million masks procured by the province has now been delivered to all 27 school division, in addition to full-face shields the province obtained which will be made available for all staff. The second shipment of masks was set to leave the supplier today and be delivered to school divisions during the first week of school.
The two local school divisions both have their safe return plans up on their websites.
Living Sky School Division released its plan Aug. 22. That plan calls for:
Schools to review current arrival and dismissal procedures and revise them as necessary, taking into account number of students who arrive and depart at the same time, the number of students who use each entry, and number of supervisors required.
Schools are to examine recess and noon schedules as well as entry and exit procedures to determine a structure that allows students to have breaks while keeping them physically distanced in hallways and on playgrounds. They are looking at staffing arrivals and departures by bus/non-bus students, classroom specific entrances, and encouraging non-bus students to arrive to school just
before the bell rings.
Regarding mask use in the school division, all staff are required to wear masks where physical distancing is not possible, and all students are required to wear masks on buses. Masks are required for students where physical distancing is not possible. They must be worn upon entry to or exit from the school, while in classrooms, hallways or common areas when two meters of physical distancing is not possible.
For PreK to grade three, masks are optional.
Living Sky School Division will supply two reusable masks to all staff and students and are encouraging students to have additional non-medical cloth masks, made using two or three layers of fabric. Bandanas and gaiter masks are not recommended as appropriate face coverings.
In addition to face masks, the province has obtained full-face shields, which will be available for all staff.
Light of Christ released its latest update to its reopen plan on Aug. 19 and sent a letter to parents Aug. 20. That correspondence from director of education Cory Rideout stated as follows:
“1. As you may know, on Saturday, August 15, Premier Moe announced that school will now start after the Labour Day Weekend on Tuesday, September 8.
2. Prior to September 8, 2020, Saskatchewan Health Authority recommends that all our staff and students get tested for COVID 19. This will provide a baseline data for when staff and students enter the school. If you choose to get tested, please contact 811 to arrange an appointment.
3. The individual school plans will be available on your school website on August 26, 2020. If you have any questions regarding your school plan, please contact your school directly.
If you have not done so already, please register for the upcoming school year. Registration forms can be found on the LOCCS division website (www.loccsd.ca) and our schools websites. If you have any questions about registration, please contact your school directly.”
Highlights of the Light of Christ plan include:
Enhanced personal hygiene, with the school division supplying schools with sanitizer, wipes, caretaker supplies, non-medicinal masks and gloves;
Limiting physical contact during instruction, recess and noon periods and avoiding activities that require clustering of students;
When possible, in elementary schools the cohort will be the classroom. In high school, solutions will be made by the administrator to move students in cohorts, as possible;
Modify the use of shared spaces including shared instructional spaces, bathrooms, change rooms, boot rooms, hallways etc. Staggered start times, breaks, and end times will be used where possible;
For transportation, masks are mandatory for all students riding the bus. No field trips or extra-curricular trips will be supported until permission is granted by the School Division, and no guest ridership will be permitted;
Light of Christ division will also work with schools and bus drivers to develop drop-off and pick-up protocols that coordinate with school entry and dismissal procedures.
