The New Brunswick Teachers’ Association says its members were left reeling by sudden changes to the province’s COVID-19 recovery plan.
On Sunday, the provincial government announced the Edmundston health zone would move to the red phase after a spike in cases.
At that same news briefing, it was announced schools operating in red level areas would now remain open, rather than moving to virtual learning.
“This government did a great job putting out a (return-to-school) plan early, and now we have a very hastily made change to that plan,” said the association’s president, Rick Cuming. “Teachers feel like they’re scrambling and caught blindsided.”
The association did not know that changes were coming to red phase guidelines until the provincial briefing Sunday.
Cuming says that more than 100 teachers have reached out to the association to express frustration and confusion with the lack of notice.
“You have to remember, teachers are planners. Teachers had been directed to prepare to transition to at-home learning if the red phase became necessary, and that’s been the plan for months,” he said.
Rick Cuming is the president of the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association. (Photo submitted by NBTA)
More than anything, teachers worry that the sudden changes to protocol will leave students vulnerable to contracting COVID-19, even as government officials preach the importance of the public staying home as much as possible.
“Teachers have a lot of concerns about their health and safety, but of course mostly about their students’ health and safety,” said Cuming. “The health and safety of students is the primary concern, and it’s non-negotiable for teachers.”
Cuming does agree with Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Dominic Cardy, who has touted the importance of in-person learning since schools reopened last fall.
However, he says the association believes the government should be more willing to send students home in order to keep the population safe.
“Teachers recognize the best education is face to face, not online,” Cuming said. “It’s a substitute, but it’s a substitute that needs to be considered when the health and safety of students and teachers could be compromised.”
Under the red phase, teachers are also more concerned about the possibility of physical distancing, which has been a challenge for teachers in elementary and middle schools since September.
“In our elementary classrooms social distancing is impossible, and most especially in our middle school classrooms it’s impossible because there’s been absolutely no reduction in class sizes,” Cuming said.
While schools remain open under the new regulations, increased measures have been implemented to trigger school closures should outbreaks arise.
Just one positive COVID-19 case within a school in the red phase will cause an automatic three-day closure, with the school building then being used for staff testing and for Public Health officials to carry out contact tracing.
Staff will also be screened upon arriving at school, and staff and students have been told to stay home if they exhibit just one symptom of the virus.
Cuming says that increased screening could exacerbate existing issues caused by a lack of support staff and resources.
“We just don’t understand how we’re going to have enough human resources to meet the criteria of having no symptoms when we’re in the red zone to be able to safely run a school,” he said.
“The lack of supply teachers, custodians, bus drivers, that shortage has been there in the best of times and it’s certainly a very real challenge that’s been downloaded on principals.”
