Parents, NLTA petition for more detail into return-to-school plan

Some parents are still worried theNewfoundland and Labradorgovernment's return-to-school plan for this fall is lacking the details needed to put them at ease.

The provincial government in July released its plan for a return to school under COVID-19,with three scenarios laid out, each depending onNewfoundland and Labrador'sepidemiologycome September.

Melissa Skiffingtonlives inMusgravetown with two daughters going to Grade 4,both of whomhave asthma.

Skiffingtontold CBC News there aren't enough detailsyet for her to base her decision on whether she will send her daughters to school.

"I would like to know now. I've been agonizing over this since June," she said.

"The plan was pretty much what we expected, but I would like to know exactly what's going to happen, the precautions that's going to be taken."

Skiffington said she is leaning toward home-schooling her daughters this fall, but wants answers from Health Minister John Haggie and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald before making that call.

"I'm no teacher by no means, but I have to make the decision between sending them somewhere where they could contract a disease that could possiblykill them, or keeping them home," she said.

"I worry about what they'll miss in a classroom setting. Will they be anxious? There's just so much to consider."

Class size

Moreover, Skiffington is worried about classroom sizes atAnthony Paddon Elementary. She said her daughters were in a split classlast year with 19 students, but have been in a class with 26 students before.

"In a small classroom with 26 kids, there's not enough room to stay apart. There's not enough room to do anything, really," she said. "Class sizes need to be smaller, definitely."

Skiffington isn't alone.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association is also calling for smaller class sizes and safer school environments as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

The union which represents teachers across Newfoundland and Labrador launched a petition and letterFriday calling for the provincial government to takeimmediate actionto ensure schools are safe for the return of students.

As of Monday nightthe petition had more than 8,000 signatures.

"If you look at the physical size of classroom numbers, that's a challenge. You need to enhance sanitization procedures, which means you needto look atthe staffing levels provided to allow our caretakers and cleaners to do that," saidDean Ingram, president of the NLTA.

According to the NLTA'spetition, class sizes have been on the incline since 2009, when government created a soft-cap on overall capacity. The petition says government alsobegan toforceintegration of students with special needs into regular classrooms, and successive governmentshave increased class sizes in grades 4 to 9 and reduced administrative time for school leaders.

"There are many things that will fall to our school administrators. They need to be able to have the time to implement those necessary measures," said Ingram.

Ingram said there's going to be a need for additional support for those student who may be struggling with their mental health during the ongoing pandemic.

What about masks?

He said the provincial government's initial plan didn't emphasize the need for mandatory masks and physical distancing when school starts again this fall.

As of now, masks are not mandatory in public spaces in Newfoundland and Labrador.

At the end of July, Nova Scotia made it mandatory for its residents to wear non-medical masks in public spaces.

On Monday, Quebec announced it will make masks mandatory in schools for those in Grade 5 and up, including trade schools and universities.

Masks will also bemandatory for staff and for parents visiting the schools.

Quebec Education Minister Jean-Franois Robergesaid masks must be worn in hallways and common areas including while using school transportation but not inside classrooms themselves.

He added while masks will not be mandatory inside the classroom, they also won't be prohibited.

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