Living Sky School Division has provided an update to its return to school plans and mask protocols.
The latest communication to parents came from board chair Ronna Pethick and director of education Brenda Vickers on Friday. The indication from the division is they intend to reopen at Level 2, where masks will be mandated in a number of instances for some students.
“During the August 11th provincial press conference related to school opening, the Chief Medical Health Officer provided guidance for school divisions exploring measures in Level 2.,” the letter stated, referring to the Tuesday news conference with Deputy Premier Gord Wyant and Dr. Saqib Shahab.
“After further consultation with our regional public health team this week, LSSD Board of Education came to a consensus to approve the use of masks within our schools. We made the decision to implement these additional safety measures to enhance provisions already in place to protect students and staff.”
The division states the following mask protocol will be implemented:
All students will be required to wear a mask on buses.
For Pre-Kindergarten to Grade Three, “masks are not required. Parents may choose to provide masks for their children and school staff will support their use as practical during school hours.”
For Grades Four to 12, “masks are required where physical distancing is not possible. This means masks must be worn upon entry to or exit from the school, while in classrooms, hallways or common areas when two metres of physical distancing is not possible. Masks are not required for outside activities as long as physical distancing is in place.”
All staff are required to wear masks where physical distancing is not possible, and some masks will be provided.
“There will be opportunities in school for students to learn about the proper way to wear, remove and store masks. There will be times during the day, when possible, for outside learning and play so students can have breaks from wearing a mask. Teachers may allow students to take their masks down for a while when students are front facing and working from their desks.”
The school division also states that a supply of disposable face masks will be available for all students and be provided on the first day of school, on buses for those students who ride. Students are also encouraged to bring their own non- medical cloth masks.
Also students who require a medical exemption from wearing a mask “may make an application to the school principal. Please note that students and staff who prefer not to wear a mask will not be exempt. The mask protocol is a safety measure for all students and staff, so only medical exemptions will be available.”
The school division states that all protocols, including masks, will be re-evaluated as the medical situation in Saskatchewan evolves.
The school division also sent a message on Thursday night regarding virtual learning, and stated that parents could complete an expression of interest questionnaire that would “help us find out the number of students interested in enrolling in virtual learning this year so that we can create the best online learning experience possible for our students.”
There are also plans for a virtual town hall meeting later this month on the division’s return to school plan, and more details on that are coming soon.
A further update about the province’s back to school plan were set to be released on Monday following a Facebook announcement by Premier Scott Moe on Saturday. Moe announced that in response to feedback, the government would provide a further $40 million in measures going towards safe classrooms, and also announced that the start of the school year had been pushed back to Sept. 8.
