EDMONTON -- Edmonton Public Schools teachers who don't know their assignments for the 2020-21 school year will find out on Tuesday — two days before the first day of school.

Tuesday is the school division's first day of operations. Teachers whose principals have not told them if they will be working in person or online, or even what grade they will be instructing, will find out then.

Classes begin Thursday, Sept. 3.

"We recognize our staff appreciate advance notice of what they'll be teaching," an Edmonton Public Schools spokesperson told CTV News. "This has been more challenging this year, given the ongoing pandemic and our Division offering families a choice of how their child will return to learning."

Jason Schilling, the president for the Alberta Teachers' Association, told CTV News this is part of the reason why he asked the minister of education to delay the return to classes.

The ATA conducted a survey over the weekend to learn how last week went for teachers and received more than 2,000 responses.

"Over 25 per cent of the respondents said they do not know what they're teaching this fall…they have students coming this week and they're still unsure," Schilling said.

"Our polling on the weekend told us that 91 per cent of teachers are feeling anxious and exhausted already by trying to implement these protocols and students haven't even arrived yet."

Edmonton Public Schools asked parents to tell them whether their children would learn in the classroom or online by Aug. 21.

Nearly 90 per cent of families responded by the deadline with 70 per cent saying their children would go back to the classroom.

Since then, schools have worked to accommodate their decisions and inform teachers of their assignments.

"Unfortunately their principals are in a tough spot as well because they have to redo the entire schedule to try to meet these new demands that are coming forward," Schilling said.

The upcoming school year will be divided into four quarters with families getting to choose between in-person and online learning for the following quarter two weeks before the end of each period.

MORE SURVEY FINDINGS

  • Sixty-five per cent of respondents would have preferred to return under Scenario 2, where in-person learning would have started partially.
  • Twenty-five per cent of respondents will have classes with more than 30 students, making it difficult to maintain a physical distance. However, over the weekend, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw signed an order that said students don't have to maintain a physical distance of at least two metres in class.
  • Thirty-seven per cent of respondents reported feeling somewhat unhappy and 19 per cent said they feel very unhappy.
  • Fifty-three per cent of respondents said their first week back was more difficult than expected.
  • 70 per cent of respondents said they did not receive two reusable masks from the provincial government on their first day back in the building