BCTF outlines list of concerns teachers have as they navigate the COVID landscape in education

The British Columbia Teachers' Federation has released the findings from a recent poll of its membership and by a wide margin, the provinces' teachers would like to see the Ministry of Education expand on the use of masks in schools province wide.

That recommendation and many others from the classroom come by way of a report released by the BCFT "Keeping Safe Schools Open in Pandemic" where the teachers of BC outline what they say they still need in the way of resources. 

In the preamble to the findings, the teachers observe that over half of them do not feel safe in their work environments.

According to the 2021 BCTF Health and Safety Membership Survey, over half of teachers (57.8%) who are working in BC schools report that they still do not feel safe. 

The lack of adequate safety procedures, as well as inadequate supports for learners with diverse needs and often complex medical vulnerabilities,  have made some families feel that they are being forced out of the public education system

The twenty five page report has four sections of note:

1. Health and safety measures in schools are still inadequate 

2. Teachers’ workload is increasing and teachers are burning out 

3. Teachers’ mental and physical health has worsened during the pandemic 

4. Teachers are concerned about COVID-19’s impact on students

When it comes to the Health and Safety measures, the areas of concern included:

The BCTF also notes what teachers and students need immediately to best address the range of COVID related concerns that they have.

The full report can be examined here.

The call for mask use was one that the Prince Rupert District Teachers Union advocated for last fall, launching a local campaign to raise awareness of the issue for the schools of SD52. 

Many of the other themes raised by the BCTF in their January survey have also previously been noted by the Prince Rupert local.

In January a number of COVID exposure notices for three local schools were released through the mid point of the month

The teachers may hear some new details later this morning on how the province will further enhance their measures in response to COVID, with provincial officials set to hold an information session later this morning.

For more notes related to education in the Northwest see our archive page here.