Several provinces have asked school boards to spend the summer preparing for reopening scenarios: remote learning; a hybrid of distance and in-class instruction; or a full return to in-class learning
Bronwen Alsop with her children Liam, 3, and Emma, 5, in front of Albany Junior Public School, in Toronto on July 2, 2020.When children return to school this fall, they might only be inside the classroom for two days a week. They might not be allowed to carry backpacks, and their teachers might be equipped with microphones to broadcast their lessons to students watching at home.
“It’s too soon to let our guard down, but our kids need to be in school,” said Ted Fransen, superintendent of the Pembina Trails School Division in Winnipeg. The Ottawa French Catholic board, meanwhile, published a back-to-school plan that includes eating lunch and snacks in classrooms, and the direction students would walk along the corridors. Backpacks would not be allowed, and only a water bottle and a lunch box can be carried to school, according to the plan. A spokesperson said the proposed measure was to limit the risk of transmission, but that children in kindergarten would be allowed to bring a change of clothes in a plastic bag.
The issue for public health, governments and educators is that children are a wild card in this pandemic: They are vectors for the transmission of viral illnesses, but with COVID-19, it’s unclear how they drive transmission or why they tend not to get very ill when infected. Some research suggests that children are less likely to transmit it than adults.
“We want things to be safe for our children and for our teachers,” Ms. Alsop said, adding: “The only way children are going to adapt with this new way of living is to have consistency for five days.” In a recent meeting, the board discussed an option where cohorts of elementary students would be in the classroom two days a week. The board is also considering whether teachers who can’t be in school buildings for medical reasons can remotely teach students whose families opt to keep them home.
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