MEDICINE HAT, AB – There are mixed reviews in Medicine Hat for the move to extend the holiday break for Alberta’s students.
The return to school has been delayed until Jan. 10 following a record jump in daily COVID-19 cases in Alberta.
The province is also rolling out more masks and rapid tests to schools.
Local school officials say the extended break is helpful but not ideal.
“I would always ask for more time. I would always ask for more information earlier but at the end of the day we get what we get,” Mark Davidson, superintendent of the Medicine Hat Public School Division said.
“I understand what the government is seeking to do,” he added. “They want to provide a little bit of time for school divisions to get a read on what things look like in our community around the spread of the Omicron variant.”
Meanwhile, the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education says the extra three days off will also be well put to use.
“No immediate changes need to take place for us, so this gives staff ample time to adjust their plans,” Supt. Dwayne Zarichny said.
Preparations during the extended break for more possible online learning later in the new year will be done by local schools.
But the group Support Our Students says the province should be using the longer holiday on more permanent solutions
“(Installing) HEPA filters, those are the portable filter units. If not, at least ventilation assessments for the entire school to ensure the airflow is clearing the air of virus, ” said the group’s Wing Li.
S.O.S. is worried as well about the instability caused for students by ongoing changes, which is also a concern of a Medicine Hat parent CHAT News spoke to.
Patricia Jeanneault’s 12-year-old daughter deals with anxiety, and she says the girl needs more consistency.
“Home learning or keep (students) in school. One or the other. Y’know (some) kids, they have a hard enough time being around people,” Jeanneault said.
But more changes may be just around the corner for schools, with another provincial announcement on its back to school plans expected next week.
