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Concerns in Quebec About a Safe Back-to-School Environment A Proactive Approach Is RequiredAs of August 31, Quebec students are back in schools from the
kindergarten to high school levels. Elementary and high school
teachers have been back at school since August 24, while students
began to progressively return later that same week, some for only
a couple of hours to pick up their books and others for half a
day, with some attending classes. The full reopening of schools
began on Monday, August 31. It was during the progressive return
period that reports emerged that a number of teachers had tested
positive for COVID-19. It has not been revealed when the teachers
were tested, nor when the results came in. The cases occurred in
elementary and high schools in the eastern part of Montreal and in
the Laurentides region. At the request of some
unions, Quebec's Ministry of Education recently published a
"document of the number of
positive cases in the School Boards between May 11 and June 3."
According to this, 43
students and 33 teachers tested positive for COVID-19 during this
period in which schools
reopened in various regions outside of Montreal. Generally
speaking, the number of students
was largely reduced because some parents had decided not to send
their children to school,
making physical distancing much easier to respect. Still, a
significant number of students and
teachers were infected. Instead of basing itself on this
experience, the Ministry of Education has adopted an approach
which treats students and educators who get sick as unfortunate
"collateral damage." Schools are not islands cut off from the world. On the contrary, because of their place in the community, they can play a key role to stop the spread of the pandemic and any resurgence, the guiding principle being that those who are on the frontlines must decide how things can and must be organized in the safest way possible. For example, according to collective agreements, there should be health and safety committees at the place of work. If ever there was a time to make sure these committees are functional, it is now. They can play a central role, starting with looking after basics such as the efficiency of ventilation systems and the condition of window screens so that classrooms have maximum ventilation. Other things can be discussed such as the efficacy of face shields. Should wearing masks be mandatory in class, especially where physical distancing is impossible? If so, would it be possible to deliver certain subjects in alternate venues such as gymnasiums or outside, weather permitting, so that students can take a break from wearing their masks? This spring, pre-school teachers met with parents of new students at desks set up outside. How effective would transparent barriers be in classrooms, similar to the cardboard barriers students use when they want to concentrate or write an exam? Obviously, the problems won't be the same at the primary and high school levels. If students are part of decision-making on how to live, work and learn in a safe environment, they will have plenty of things to propose. Other equally important issues to consider are the presence of nurses in each school, the taking of temperatures and COVID-19 testing. Everyone has a stake in seeing to it that the learning environment is as safe as possible. There is already a shortage of teachers, and the prospect of renewed closures and confinement due to a COVID-19 resurgence arising in the school system is definitely not what anyone wishes for. (Photo: H. Nadeau)
This article was published in Article Link:   Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca |
In
light of this, the Ministry of Education's decision that there should
be neither masks nor physical distancing in classes is considered most
inappropriate by many teachers, education workers and parents. The
Ministry suggests that those who want to wear a mask can do so which is
nonsensical and reduces the discussion and guidelines of what measures
are appropriate to take to nonsense as well because the efficacy of
wearing a mask is directly proportional to the number of people who
wear them. At a demonstration in Montreal on August 23, parents,
teachers and students raised that they did not understand why the
student-teacher ratio has remained the same while physical distancing
is required in all enclosed public places. Indeed, class sizes are
undoubtedly in stark contradiction to the requirement for physical
distancing, making the reopening anything but "cautious."