School divisions told to cover the cost of PPE’s for return to class

The Medicine Hat Public School Division has a survey on now for students, staff, and families.

It will help the division consider the best way to respond to the three scenarios.

Superintendent Mark Davidson says of the 2,500 responses since Friday, they’re hopeful for full-time school to return rather than part-time.

Students are missing the interaction with their friends and teachers and in-person learning. Teachers also in large, also want to return with their students.

There’s some uneasiness, however, about what it will be like to be together again with COVID-19 still being a factor.

And concerns about how schools and families will juggle a blended environment of at school and at home learning if not all students can return.

He adds a significant minority of the community and staff have concerns about returning due to reasons such as being more at risk or having family members more at risk for the virus.

Davidson says they will work hard to establish expectations and habits with students and staff like physical distancing.

But students need to feel welcome in school.

He says schools will be vigilant, but with an understanding and balanced approach.

“We know that we have to be careful and mindful when students and staff return to school. The safety of those precious people in the community that we serve is our most important work but we also have to be mindful that when you bring hundreds of young people and their teachers into buildings that we’re going to work to support students in distancing as much as reasonable in a school.”

Meantime, Davidson says the August 1 school announcement from the government is adequate time to plan.

He says planning for scenario one of school returning in the fall is already underway which includes bell times, transportation, and cleaning schedules.

It includes purchasing face masks and mass amounts of hand sanitizer.

Davidson says school boards have also been told that there will be no financial support from the government when purchasing PPE’s.

And direction from the government has been to use reserves.

Davidson says it’s necessary but a significant investment of safety.

“Hand sanitizer alone, having hand sanitizer at every instructional space and understanding that every student needs to use it at least when they enter and leave that space, and in the middle, if touch their face, they will be going to that quite often. We expect we’ll spend well over a half a million dollars on hand sanitizer alone next year.”

If scenario one goes ahead, Davidson says the Medicine Hat Public School Division intends on running almost all of their classes as they normally would.

Physical education will look a little different tho, to try to limit the amount of contact with students.

The link for the survey can be found by visiting this link.

by Chantal Wagner

School divisions told to cover the cost of PPE’s for return to class

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