Advocacy group demands switch to remote learning for K-12 students in B.C.

Kyenta Martins just made the difficult decision to keep her young daughter out of school for at least the next two weeks.

“(My daughter) is heartbroken, to put it mildly. She didn’t go to school last year and this is her Grade 7 year,” said Martins, as she fought back tears.

Martins believes schools will inevitably become a hotbed for the Omicron variant of COVID-19. She doesn’t want her daughter missing out on her final year of elementary school, but she also doesn’t want to risk the health and safety of her family.

“(Omicron) is mild in some people but not mild in everyone, especially those who are unvaccinated,” she said.

Approximately 60 per cent of kids aged five to 11 in B.C. are not immunized, and just 48 per cent are registered for a shot. To date, just over one-third of children in that age group have their first dose.

Martins is part of an advocacy group called Safe Schools Coalition B.C., which is made up primarily of parents and teachers across the province. The group has penned an open letter to the education minister, listing a number of demands for improved safety measures in schools. It includes widespread implementation of HEPA air purifiers, use of N95 or KN95 masks for staff and students, rapid testing when a positive case is confirmed in class and – most notably – an immediate switch to remote learning until the rate of COVID-19 transmission slows down.

“We need to hunker down at home and get those numbers down,” said Jennifer Heighton, a member of the group who teaches at an elementary school in Burnaby.

“If we can get the numbers down in the community, then schools can reopen safer.”

On Wednesday, the province announced it would be pushing back the return to school for kindergarten through Grade 12 by one week, to Jan. 10..

“This delayed start will allow public health and education time to assess the impact of the Omicron variant on our communities and on our education system,” B.C. Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside said at a news conference.

The Surrey school district is using the extra seven days to prepare for the possibility of functional school closures, in the event that too many staff members catch COVID-19.

“(Some considerations are) how do we make sure we can communicate quickly with parents? What can parents expect? And having instructional materials in hand so we can be ready to go,” said Jordan Tinney, Surrey School District superintendent.

When students do return to class, the province will require public and independent schools to use enhanced protocols, including staggered break times, virtual assemblies, and limiting visitors on school grounds.

Considering the relatively low vaccination rates among children and the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, Martins feels it would be best for staff and students to stay home and reassess the COVID-19 situation in two weeks. She’s also calling on the provincial and federal governments to offer financial support to families who would be forced to miss work to stay home with their children.

“Supports need to be in place for all families to be able to make decisions for their health, and to know that they are cared for,” she said.