Teachers first, students later: British Columbia Government looking at staggered start to 2020 school year

Liberal opposition members had a number of questions
for the Education Minister on Tuesday
(from the BC Legislature video feed)

Education Minister Rob Fleming was a busy fellow on Tuesday in the Legislature as members of the Liberal opposition tried to gain a bit more background on the BC Government's planning for the start of the 2020 school year.

Mr. Fleming responded to a number of questions during the morning Question Period session, making a bit of news by indicating that the province will be heading towards a staggered return to school.

With Mr. Fleming observing that teachers will apparently get a few extra days to familiarize themselves with the new protocols in place to deal with COVID before the students return to class.

"I have to say that we're looking at a very different September than in previous years. Previously students would come back into class, usually with their previous year's teachers, and wait a few days for school to be organized for the coming school year. 

We can't do that in a pandemic. That would not be in compliance with the BCCDC guidelines. 

So what we're doing is working on exactly that issue with the steering committee that we have that is representative of every important partner in the K-to-12 sector. 

So you will hear an announcement in the coming days clearly about what September 8 will look like for staff teams, including support staff, principals and vice-principals and the teaching staff coming back into the school and making sure that kids are organized into the classes where they will be with their peers in a unit that is designed to limit the student interactions. 

If that takes some extra time and builds additional confidence and fulfils the guidelines that have been developed by Dr. Bonnie Henry and her team, that's what we're going to do in the province of British Columbia."

The answer didn't reassure Peace River North's Liberal MLA Dan Davies, who continued to press Mr. Fleming for some clarity on the date of return.

The minister is not accepting any responsibility for this. It's always the committee has to do something to sort it out, it's up to school districts, or it's up to the parents to make a plan. 

Parents are under a tremendous amount of anxiety. This morning, just now, the minister said maybe only teachers will be back in the class on September 8. 

Again, parents have enough stress, a tremendous amount, that they're dealing with. They are looking for leadership from this minister. They're looking for leadership from this government on what September 8 looks like. Plans have to be made by parents, by families. 

So would the minister give a clear answer: what will schools look like on September 8? If they're not going to be open, say so. We need that clarity.

In reply, the Minister also made note how the province in consultation with Dr. Bonnie Henry and other health officials is moving forward towards the return to school.

"What we have provided at the highest level in this province is strong, effective, science-based leadership every step of the way for every sector of B.C. society, including schools. The way we've done it has been a collaborative approach, working with every professional and parent organization and stakeholder in the K-to-12 education system to do this safely. 

We're doing it in a very similar manner to what you're seeing in other jurisdictions, including other Canadian provinces and European jurisdictions that the ministry is in close coordination with, and we're doing it safely. We're doing it in a way that will allow a phased re-entry of students into school. 

If we have to use that first week of school to get it right and districts are saying, "Look, we need some time with our local administrative teams on the ground," that's a conversation that's happening at the steering committee. I think that's a far more productive forum, quite frankly — and I say this respectfully — than in the Legislature during question period quite frankly. 

Those meetings are happening on an almost daily basis. That's an active area under discussion. We will communicate what that looks like, because we do want have to consistency across the 60 school districts in our province. 

Look, we've got a lot of experts looking at how we can do this best. And we're hearing and respecting from the teaching profession, from support staff, that they want the schools to be organized and done in a way that is in full compliance with the new BCCDC guidelines. 

That's the safe and responsible way to do things. If we're taking the time to listen to our partners and making adjustments as we go and showing some flexibility, I think that's the responsible way to proceed."

The full exchange of commentary between the Minister and opposition members can be reviewed from the Legislature record here, as well as viewed through the Legislature Video, the education themes begin at 10:45 AM.

The original plan from the Ministry of Education was released in late July and found a significant push back from the BCFT membership, a collective which had a number of concerns.

As Mr. Fleming observed, teachers and staff return to the schools on September 8th, while further advisories as to the actual start date for students will be relayed in the days to come.

As we outlined earlier this week, SD52 Superintendent Andrew Samoil and School Board Chair  James Horne provided their first comments on the upcoming school year, with a correspondence for parents, guardians, students and staff.

“The Board is pleased the Ministry has provided early notice of the plans for school in September. Our staff will develop a plan that will ensure the safe return of students, while continuing to ensure that each student completes their education with a sense of hope, purpose and control.” -- Board Chair James Horne

“In-person learning best meets the social and emotional needs of students. We will be working very hard over the summer to ensure that parents and students will know what to expect when they return to school in September.” -- Superintendent Andrew Samoil.

Further notes on the SD52 school return plan are expected to be released later this month.

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

You can also find some background on the return to school issue and other provincial notes from our political blog D'Arcy McGee.