Masks mandatory for staff, students Grades 4 to 12: Black Gold School Division
Black Gold School Division has reinstated enhanced health measures in their schools including making masks mandatory for Grades 4 to 12.
A special meeting to discuss COVID-19 protocols was held Wednesday and the Black Gold School Division's Board of Trustees voted to bring back the enhanced health measures.
Masks are required for all students and staff from Grades 4 to 12 in all common areas of school buildings where physical distancing is not possible. For students and staff in Kindergarten to Grade 3, masks are only recommended.
"In light of the rapidly increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases in the province, especially among young children, the Board felt it had a responsibility to re-introduce mandatory masking, along with continuing with other health measures, to keep students and staff safe in our schools," said Board Chair Devonna Klaassen in a statement.
Students can remove masks at their desks as long as they are front facing and have appropriate spacing.
Masks are not required during physical fitness or outside.
Indoor school sports and extra-curricular activities will continue, but students off fields or courts of play must wear masks. All spectators and coaches must wear masks indoors.
The school division says the rules come into effect immediately and will be enforced starting on Sept. 13.
“This is indeed a health decision that has been placed in the hands of education, and at the political level. Whether this is the right place for this decision to be made or not, it is our responsibility to set the parameters to protect the health and well-being of our students and staff,” said Klaassen.
"We are not medical experts, and when we are being asked to make impossible decisions of this nature, it can result in greater uncertainty and divisiveness within our school communities."
It's a point of criticism the Alberta Teachers' Association has made of the provincial government's approach, which officials say gives local authorities the ability to decide what's best for their community.
"What we're seeing now is some schools having one set of rules and [you] could literally be across the street at a different school with another set of rules," ATA president Jason Schilling told CTV News Edmonton. "It's creating confusion and anxiety for students, parents, teachers and their families because it's a little bit of an unknown in certain areas."
He also said it makes the discussion more polarizing; according to Schilling, masks and other health measures taken by schools have been the subject of protests at trustee meetings.
"I've never in my career ever witnessed that before."
Black Gold School Division is directly south of Edmonton and includes the municipalities of Beaumont, Calmar, City of Leduc, Leduc County, Devon, Thorsby, and Warburg.
The division has over 11,000 students in 29 schools.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.