VANCOUVER -- When B.C. schools first re-opened in June, primary students were invited back to the classroom for half day classes at 50 per cent density, and the vast majority of secondary students continued to learn remotely.

With COVID-19 cases surging in Metro Vancouver, Education Minister Rob Fleming is not ruling out returning to that format if the situation doesn’t improve.

“Now that we are in Stage 2 of school operations, it could be possible, depending on whether we defeat the second wave or if it gathers strength, we may have to go back to Stage 3," said Fleming. "We hope that's not the case."

Lizanne Foster, an English teacher at Queen Elizabeth Secondary in Surrey, believes if schools had started with half-sized classes in September, there would be fewer COVID-19 cases now.

“If we had classes that were maxed out at like 15, you would be able to space them out, and it would be easier to maintain physical distancing,” she said.

She’s urging provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, who brought in tough new COVID-19 measures this past Saturday, to order smaller class sizes and mandatory masks in schools.

“We are wondering if schools are some kind of magical place, because there’s all these rules for indoor public spaces. A classroom by any logical definition is an indoor public space. It’s inside, you’ve got 30 people all in one room all breathing the same air,” said Foster.

She’s worried if the government waits any longer to bring in tougher measures in schools, there could be a tragedy.

“A group of us have been saying for awhile now it’s gonna take somebody dying. It’s going to take a teacher dying, its gonna take hospitalization of teachers,” Foster said.

As Foster’s school deals with a fourth case of COVID-19 since the year began in September, she says teachers there are under overwhelming stress.

“On a scale of one to 10, teachers are at a 12 right now,” Foster said. And she has a message for Dr. Henry.

“I would say please come to a high school to see how it works. Come and see what we have to deal with, just follow a teacher for a day just see what its like to teach in high schools with 30 students in a class all day,” she said. “Please come.”