Education Minister Dominic Cardy. (GNB YouTube)
Education Minister Dominic Cardy provided an overview of changes for the new school year Wednesday to keep students, staff and teachers safe.
Starting in September, students must bring a clean face mask to school every day but they won’t have to wear them in the classroom if physical distancing can be maintained.
Cardy said students in kindergarten to grade five are encouraged to wear them in common areas like hallways and washrooms.
“I previously discussed that around issues of younger students, the difficulties with them putting the mask on taking the mask off and touching their face, nose, eyes, etc. So that said, we still want those students to have a mask with them,” Cardy said.
In high school, teachers will be required to physically distance from students, and if they can’t, they will have to wear a mask.
“Teachers and educators from kindergarten to grade eight will be able to choose if they want to wear a face mask or a shield within their classroom bubble, but they will not be required,” Cardy said.
If a student becomes sick at school, they’ll have to wear a mask until their parent or guardian can take them home.
Transportation changes include keeping the same seat on the school bus every day to facilitate contact tracing should it be needed.
Cardy said younger students can sit alone on the bus or with a member of their household.
“Older students will be able to sit two to a seat but they will be required to wear a mask whenever they’re sharing their seat in addition to wearing them while embarking and disembarking,” Cardy said.
To reduce congestion and promote physical distancing, whenever possible, buses will be filled from the back to the front.
The Return to School : Guide for Parents and the Public outlines what families need to know before returning to school in September 2020. https://t.co/72vtM9Iamv pic.twitter.com/FDWU3ukCUf
— Government of NB (@Gov_NB) August 13, 2020
The province’s chief medical officer of health is a parent herself and says she understands the concerns parents have during COVID-19.
At the same time, Dr. Jennifer Russell says getting children back to school is vital.
Russell said the social and educational development along with the psychological well-being of children is very important and dependent on being able to attend school.
She warns future outbreaks could impact one or more of our schools.
Russell said the return to school plan is about managing risks and not eliminating them.
Steps will be followed when a case of COVID-19 is diagnosed in a school – not when someone is getting tested.
One person in a thousand has tested positive for the virus in New Brunswick according to Russell.
“If every time a person is tested, that means 999 would be worried and concerned. If they shared that information with other people and acted on it… for instance, in situations where businesses have been shut down and people have been sent home from work… that is quite disruptive, so we wouldn’t want to see that in schools.”
When a positive case is identified, Russell said public health will advise the school which will communicate with parents and the community.
Some individuals may be required to self-isolate including a few people, one or more classrooms or even an entire school.
With files from Allan Dearing and Tamara Steele.
