North Coast teacher advocates for Keep BC Students Safe petition

A petition initiative that is calling on the Provincial Government to provide for a range of Personal Protection Equipment in public schools is now accepting signatures on the change.org website, with a Prince Rupert teacher among those raising the issue and calling on the public for support.

The organizers of the "Keep BC Students Safe" petition are asking for the government to:

Provide teachers and other educators with N95 Respirator Masks 
Provide teachers and other educators with Face Shields 
Provide PPE as an option for all students in all B.C. schools

Tom Kertes, who is a teacher with School District 52 is among those educators on the North Coast calling for the government to supply the equipment to protect teachers as they return to classroom instruction.

“As professionals, teachers have an ethical duty to protect their students,” said petition organizer and teacher Tom Kertes. “Even if students don’t spread as much of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 as adults can spread, teachers should be provided N95 respirator masks and face shields to limit the spread from adults to children and teens in schools, and to limit the spread between teachers and other educators in schools.

Teachers are proud to be essential workers and want to see schools reopen safely,” said Kertes. “We know that in-person schooling works best for the vast majority of students. That’s why teachers want to see protections put in place, including N95 respirator masks and face shields for teachers and other educators."

As one of the local organizers for the petition, Kertes has outlined the concerns that the educators who stand with the petition have about the return to school following the COVID-19 pandemic noting that"

Teachers must work closely with students and other adults to do their jobs. Physical distancing is not possible in many educational contexts, such as with young students and students with complex learning needs. 

Given the nature of the job, N95 respirator masks and face shields are essential to protect the health and safety of teachers, which in turn helps protect students and will help B.C. reopen schools for all students safely in September.

The call for signatures and concerns over safety has also made for a current for conversation on twitter, with some Prince Rupert District teachers sharing in the discussion of late.

The change.org petition which you can review here, was launched on June 4th and to this point has attracted close to 400 signatures.

Organizers have an initial goal of 5,000 signatures.

Tom Kertes seen above addressing Prince Rupert City Council during
the Boil Water concerns of early 2019, is one of a number of teachers
pushing for a wider supply of PPE for school teachers 

Mr. Kertes who in the past had organized public activism during Prince Rupert's drinking water woes of 2018, is also one of a number of educators who have contributed to an education blog called #redforBCed which explores a number of themes and raises issues of note across the province.

In addition to Mr. Kertes, Ms. Joanna Larson from the PRDTU is also among the contributors to the forum.

For more items of interest on education in the Northwest see our archive page here.