Education minister Rob Fleming detailed new COVID-19 precautions as part of the province's plan to re-start in-class instruction on Sept. 8. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

back in class

In-class instruction resumes in September for K-12 students, new ‘learning groups’ adopted to reduce COVID-19 spread

Jul 29, 2020 | 2:09 PM

NANAIMO — Students in the B.C.’s K-12 school system will return to the classroom in the fall.

B.C.’s return to school plan was unveiled Wednesday, July 29, featuring students in class starting Sept. 8 and kept together with staff in what’s known as ‘learning groups’ to limit COVID-19 transmissions.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the groups will cluster a maximum of 60 students in elementary and middle schools, with the cap rising to 120 at the secondary high school level.

“The principle behind these learning groups is to create groups of students and staff who will remain together throughout the school year or term and who primarily interact only with each other,” Dr. Henry said.

Dr. Henry said newly adopted health guidelines tailored for the education system will be helpful should a COVID-19 case be confirmed in a school setting.

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“The potential for transmission will be limited and the ability for public health to quickly complete contact tracing will be far easier and far less disruptive.”

Dr. Henry said while mask wearing won’t be mandatory as part of the back to school plan, it is recommended for constrained spaces like hallways and buses.

Education minister Rob Fleming said timetables may need to be altered on a case-by-case basis.

“Each school district will plan for their local needs as well as their school populations or space available in their buildings.”

He said a hybrid approach of in-class and remote, self-directed learning may apply for 16 schools in the province with more than 1,500 students.

Fleming announced an additional $45 million to be spent this year to enhance cleaning, install hand-washing stations and supply reusable masks for students and staff.

The education minister said there is no substitute for in-class learning.

“We heard time and time again from parents that students and teachers, when they had the chance to reconnect in June, those in-person connections meant a great deal to students and families and teachers.”

Stephanie Higginson, president of the BC School Trustees Association and Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools trustee, said returning to in-class instruction was designed to have students in school for as long and safely as possible.

“It’s going to require new and different scheduling at all school levels as well as deep and thoughtful planning within individual schools and across school districts. It’s also going to require patience,” Higginson said.

The news was not as enthusiastically received by the BC Teachers’ Federation, who in a statement said the back to school plan needs to be reworked.

“This plan is still a work in progress and there is a lot of room for improvement,” Federation president Teri Mooring said.

“Bringing everyone back all at once, even with some version of a cohort model, on the first day after the Labour Day long weekend, is too much too soon.”

In-class instruction in the province’s public and independent K-12 school system was largely shut down between mid March and June when an optional, staggered return to in-class learning began.

About 200,000 of roughly 550,000 students returned to school in June, according to the province.

Roughly 5,000 children of essential service workers and those requiring extra support continued attending school full-time between March and June.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com
On Twitter: @reporterholmes