On May 15, BC Premier John Horgan, Provincial Health Officer (PHO) Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister of Education Rob Fleming announced that “Parents will have the choice of bringing their children back to class on a part-time basis this school year as part of BC’s Restart Plan, with the goal of returning to full-time classes in September 2020, provided it is safe to do so.”
We encourage you to read the government’s news release which provides greater detail.
What measures will be in place to keep students and staff safe?
We can assure you that strict health and safety standards will be in place to make sure that schools are safe for students and staff. Later today, we expect to receive detailed guidelines from the government encompassing advice from the Ministry of Education, Provincial Health Office and WorkSafeBC. We have already starting planning for a return to in-class instruction and over the coming days, we will ensure our plans align with these guidelines.
Next steps
As indicated in the government news release:
“Each school district and independent school must have its return-to-class and safety plans approved by the ministry before moving to the next stage. The plans will be posted on each district’s website for families to access. The ministry will support boards of education and independent school authorities in building these plans, and operations during the pandemic will be regularly monitored.”
While we look forward to welcoming our students and staff back to schools, we understand that you likely have many questions as a result of today’s announcement. We will share more information with you towards the end of next week. In the meantime, please continue to support your child(ren) with their learning at home.
We appreciate your ongoing patience and support during this time. Please stay healthy and safe during the coming weeks, and enjoy the long weekend.