Year-round Edmonton Catholic schools are reinstating COVID-19 safety measures as students return to class
Nearly a thousand year-round Catholic school students returned to the classroom on Wednesday, as schools waited for guidance from the government on COVID-19.
Three schools in Edmonton take shorter summer breaks for more time off during the year: St. Teresa of Calcutta Elementary School, St. Catherine Catholic Elementary and Junior High and St. Alphonsus Catholic Elementary and Junior High.
These three schools say they are all keeping last year’s protocols in place while waiting for guidance from the government on COVID-19.
Krista MacGregor, principal at Alphonsus Catholic Elementary, says that includes mandatory masks, screening protocols, smaller class sizes and increased ventilation.
“We just thought it is a lot easier for our Kindergarten to Grade 9 just to follow what we were doing in June so it is not very different,” said MacGregor.
MacGregor says her staff and school community look forward to returning to in-person learning.
In fact, she says more students at St. Alphonsus are returning to in-person learning with the total number of students learning online dropping from 80 to 20.
“It is great to have them back. For teachers, they want to have those bodies back in the classroom. That is what teaching is all about – it is building those relationships in the classroom,” said MacGregor.
The provincial government plans to remove mandatory quarantine for people who test positive for the virus and stop asymptomatic testing starting Aug. 16.
Jason Schilling, president of Alberta Teachers’ Association, says without direct guidance from the government, students and teachers are feeling a sense of anxiousness.
“Once again we find ourselves sort of in a repeat of what we had last summer, with a lot of questions with a couple of weeks for school to start and nothing coming out of the government in terms of guidance or what schools can expect in the fall,” he said.
“The sooner we can get this information, the better off we would be,” he added.
Alberta Education says a document outlining safety protocols is being finalized and will be released later in August.
Schilling says schools should keep last year’s safety protocols that were in place to keep the community safe.
Other Alberta school districts, which have students returning in September, said they are still working on their return-to-school plans.
Trish Estabrooks, Edmonton Public School Board trustee, says e-mails continue to pour in advocating for a continuation of COVID-19 protocols.
“We have heard a number of concerns. Parents are worried and we are three weeks from the start of the next school year -- there is still a lot of uncertainty," said Estabrooks.
"Dozens of e-mails, dozens of phone calls that I am personally receiving and I know my collegues are receiving, are asking that we keep those same protocols in place," she added.
Estabrooks says following last year's protocols is the "move that makes sense" given the rise of the Delta variant. She promised parents' concerns were being heard.
"I would say certainly by this week, we need some clear leadership and we need some clear direction made from the government of Alberta, from our elected officials, and also from Dr. Deena Hinshaw."
Calgary's public school board similarly told The Canadian Press it is monitoring an evolving situation.
In a statement from Calgary Board of Education, spokeswoman Megan Geyer said the district is working closely with Alberta's health and education ministries “to ensure appropriate health and safety protocols are adhered to in our schools and work places.”
Geyer said the board is sharing additional information with staff and families later this month.
On Tuesday, Alberta reported an additional 279 new COVID-19 cases and two deaths.
- COVID-19 in Alberta: Hospitalizations up nearly 50 per cent since start of the month
- ‘Our kids are going to be super vulnerable in our schools’: Alta. doctors calling on feds for help
- Alberta to provide $45M for students set back by COVID-19 learning loss
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than half of Canadians say freedom of speech is under threat, new poll suggests
A new poll suggests a majority of Canadians feel their right to freedom of speech is in danger.
NEW Kim Kardashian brand kids' sleepwear and more: Here are some recalls to watch out for
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Wally, the emotional support alligator once denied entry to a baseball game, is missing
Emotional support animal registrations in the United States reached 115,832 last year, by an industry group’s count. But in the eyes of reptile rescuer Joie Henney, there’s only one: 'Wally Gator.'
Maple Leafs down Bruins 2-1 to force Game 7
William Nylander scored twice and Joseph Woll made 22 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday to force Game 7 in their first-round series.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Is your password 123456? Here's why you should make it stronger
With the sheer number of passwords needed today, it may come as no surprise that over 60 per cent of Canadians feel overwhelmed, and over a third reportedly forget their passwords monthly.
Jurors in Trump hush money trial hear recording of pivotal call on plan to buy affair story
Jurors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump heard a recording Thursday of him discussing with his then-lawyer and personal fixer a plan to purchase the silence of a Playboy model who has said she had an affair with the former president.